Shades of the Galaxy: The Clone Wars
by Darren1138
Summary: A young Jedi Knight eager to protect the galaxy. A Senator willing to preserve her family's legacy. A lone warrior looking for a cause. A smuggler just trying to find her way in life. Four beings of red, white, black and yellow will become involved in a war that will test their strengths and resolves to determine the fate of the galaxy. (RWBY AU story in the SW canon)
1. Red: Padawan Menace

**A/N~ Greetings, everyone! As if writing one RWBY fanfic wasn't crazy enough, I decided to write up yet another crossover one! Seriously, what is with me and crossovers? Maybe it's the crazy pleasure of seeing two or more of my favourite shows coming together as one to bring more exciting action to the table.**

 **Anyway, I've always thought about how writing a RWBY/Star Wars crossover. So, I had the idea of doing one right off the bat, but I decided to do something different.**

 **Right now, I'm doing a RWBY/Power Rangers crossover that lets the characters of different shows directly interact with one another. But I've seen a lot of RWBY fanfics that seem to blend aspects of the world in RWBY with other franchises, making them like actual parts of other universes. Like, what if the characters lived in this universe instead of their own? So I thought, perhaps I can make one too.**

 **It would be very interesting to have a go and make a story where the world of RWBY is part of the Star Wars galaxy instead of having the two series collide directly, as I would be able to pour in some new ideas of how the RWBY characters could be if they were born in the Star Wars galaxy. And thus, here we are!**

 **Take a note below that I will be classifying different dialogues based on the conditions:**

 _ **Normal dialogue**_ \- "It's all good." **(no font edits)**

 _ **Droid dialogue**_ – "C-3PO, HUMAN CYBORG RELATIONS" **(full caps)**

 _ **Alien translation**_ – " _Bantha fodder!_ " **(itallics)**

 _ **Televised dialogue**_ – ***** _ **And on this day in Coruscant…* (bold italics in between two '*' signs)**_

 _ **Radio/hologram communication**_ – " _REPORT IN, TROOPER._ " **(italics with caps)**

 **I will be updating the dialogue chart above in the future in case there are other options.**

 **Also, the story will be taking place in the Star Wars canon, so expect some familiar episodes or scenes from the prequels and the Clone Wars TV series, and even familiar faces here and there.**

 **Okay! So, without further ado, let's get this show on the road! Have fun reading, leave a comment or like, and I shall catch you on the next one.**

 **May the Force be with you.**

* * *

 **Red: Padawan Menace**

Cheers roared throughout the cities of Coruscant as people celebrated the news everyone wanted to hear. Joys calling for one thing that could change the fate of the galaxy. Something that could actually a difference for the planet which the Supreme Chancellor could promise where no one before him could.

The galaxy was in turmoil enough with a bunch of planets now wishing to secede from the Republic, and finally, the Chancellor had finally put into plan the only option to deal with these ungrateful systems.

War.

Through emergency powers, the Supreme Chancellor had won almost unanimous support from the Galactic Senate to build a Grand Army of the Republic to counter the increasing threat of the Separatist Alliance.

Coruscant was in full swing, nearly the entire planet celebrating the news of mobilizing against the Separatists. Joyous cheers were sounded all across the topmost levels of the urban planet who were able to get the news right as the declaration was made by the Senate.

In the underworld, however, the news had to wait due to the lack of proper connection and broadcasting. Right now, there was other businesses to worry about. And in these dark places, none of them were practically good. None more so than one of the craziest corners of Level 1313…

* * *

Level 1313,

Coruscant,

Coruscant System,

The dirty and crowded levels of the underworld can be a gruesome place to even be in. Being caught in the claustrophobia-inducing traffic of walking citizens in the main road would be the best way to navigate in these places. For if you ravel within the thinner alleyways to take shortcuts, you're bound to end up meeting a bad crowd.

Almost anyone on the list could be found here. Thieves, thugs, mercenaries, serial killers. Heck, if you're really unlucky, you could end up being hunted down by a bounty hunter if you happened to have a price on your head. There's a reason why the government dubbed these as 'slums for the scum', and the deep levels like that of 1313 more than live up to their name.

Fortunately, for a pair of mercenaries, at least they didn't have the worst experience. Just a couple of Weequays exiting from a local diner. When they opened the doors, the screams of panicked civilians were heard, suggesting an attack or some form of physical abuse. Inside, the diner's bartender, a Selkath was lying down on the floor, head bruised and eyes unable to open properly due to the nasty hit. A couple of chairs were flipped down and broken glass was visible.

It was a terrible way to begin a work day in the underworld for the unfortunate ones. These two thugs exited the place, victorious in their attack against the poor man, robbing him of his much deserved credits. Leaving the mess behind them, the two gangsters gathered near a pair of parked rusty speeder bikes while having a laugh at their mischief.

As soon as they were about to hop on over to leave the area before the authorities arrive, they heard a soft little voice calling out to them.

"Excuse me?" They turned to the source of the voice and they could see the person who called for them. Coming into the light under the street lamp, they saw what appeared to be a small human girl, covered in a thick red cape and her head protected by a red hood walking towards them. "Can you help me?" The smaller girl looked up to show her face to the gangsters. Other than the strands of dark red hair seen over her pale face, there was a strange little feature on this girl that made her very peculiar, even to the Weequays.

She had a pair of silver eyes…

" _Nah, it's just a little girl._ " Even so, one of the thugs did not want anything to do with her, telling his partner to forget about her. " _Pay no attention._ " But the girl did not waver. She moved to ask the men again for their assistance. Her face looked very sad like a girl who was all lost and alone without anyone to care for her and trying to get these two men to give her the attention.

"Please, sir. I need your help." She then put up the most adorable face she could muster, with glimmering puppy-dog eyes and lips pursed in. After seeing the pitiful sight, the two Weequays finally gave in, but only because they wanted the pesky girl to go away and get out of their sights for good.

" _What do you want, you pest?_ " asked the first Weequay.

" _Yeah, make yourself useful and piss off!_ " warned the other.

"I'm lost and really in need of help." The girl gave her request. However, as one would expect when living in these parts of the city, these low-lives did not even bother to care.

" _Well, boo hoo to you._ " taunted the first thug with sarcasm.

" _You're in the underworld now, little Miss Riding Hood. In here, you look after yourself._ " The second Weequay came to push the girl's forehead with his finger to show his point about life in the underground levels.

"But I need to find my sister." The girl still did not give in and then revealed her main intentions.

The two Weequay then stopped their annoyed rants and looked to each other as if there was something in helping this poor human girl that could give them a benefit. The benefit of the worst kind that is. Perhaps helping the girl find her sister could prove 'fun' for them, if only she got their meaning…

" _Hrgh. Your sister, huh?_ " The first thug slyly took interest, pretending to actually care and not thinking about doing other stuff.

" _Alright, little miss._ " The other Weequay slung an arm around the little girl, pulling her in to gain her trust. The hooded child smiled so innocently, happy that the men were now willing to help her find her sibling. " _We'll help you find your beautiful sister. Do you have a clue where she's at?_ "

"Well…" The girl dug into her pocket to pull out a piece of paper before showing it to the two men. "I have this picture of her."

The two men were obviously more excited about looking into this photo than the real task at hand. They took the photo to view and stared into it. They did see the image of a teenage girl with bright yellow hair and dressed in a brown vest with a pocket attached to the right side, a yellow tube top, which exposed her mid riff, underneath and a pair of brown shorts. She also wore a pair of sunglasses while leaning against a wall looking at the photographer.

For the average lowlife, the sight of a teenage woman would be something really exciting and helping the little girl finding her could prove to be worth trying out. And that would have been a given, if it weren't for the frightened expressions on their faces.

Instead of the same suggestive faces, the two men were now looking scared to the bone. Something about this girl in the photo really gave the chills only a Hutt could bring. They looked at the younger girl in front of them and then back to the other one in the photo, wondering if there was really a comparison between the two. However, the one thing they were most baffled about was how the two were related.

" _Bantha fodder… You mean…_ _ **that's**_ _your sister?_ " The one Weequay said. The girl just nodded while still smiling.

"Do you think you can tell me where she is?" she sweetily asked the two of them, seemingly unaware of what they were so acted up about. One of the Weequays then pulled the other away from the girl and brought him closer to his face to say something without her knowing.

" _She must be crazy. This brat's sister is the Yellow Rancor!_ " he exclaimed while whispering.

" _Ee-chuta!_ " cursed his partner. " _What do we do?!_ " It was a serious dilemma now. How could they possibly avoid this hectic situation?

There were many tales of the infamous Yellow Demon, simply because she had been the scourge of the slums for some time now. Five years, in fact. Entire swoop gangs were wiped out thanks to this dangerous woman. Bars were wrecked and forced to close down due to her frequent scuffles with other tough guys out there. In one tale, she was even seen breaking the legs of an assassin who tried to wipe her out and when she found the guy responsible for putting a price on her head, she immediately found and murdered the guy straight up.

Needless to say, she was a ruthless murderer out to rule the underworld like a Mandalorian on a killing spree. Worse still, the girl in front of them. She was her sister?! This harmless little brat was related to one of, if not the most dangerous criminal in all of the underworld?!

There was only one thing to do then…

" _Run!_ " And off they went, jumping onto their speeders, starting up their engines and just sped off, leaving behind the clueless little girl behind. She stared blankly at the two bikers as they disappeared from sight.

"Gee, all I did was ask for help…" She whined to herself before picking up the photo of missing sister the thug threw away when he ran for his life. Just when one would think that the girl would feel very upset with this loss, no one would be prepared about what would happen next.

* * *

The two speeders raced away from the diner and off into the streets, carelessly driving into the crowd and nearly crashing into market stalls on the way.

They kept on riding without looking back. Once they felt they were within a safe distance, they finally slowed down at cruising speed. Relieved, they decided to take it easy and looked behind to at least see how far they've sped through to feel satisfied of a long daring ride.

Then, that's when one of the thugs saw something coming from behind. It looked to be another speeder bike heading for them with a bright headlight shining towards them. One look at the driver, however, and the Weequay almost fell off the bike in a panic. He then turned to his fellow rider and yelled to him.

" _Look!_ " The gangster turned to see where his partner was looking at and there he saw the dreaded sight as well. A sight he thought he would never see again.

" _She's following us? On a swoop bike?!_ " He saw right. The little girl with the hood at the diner was on a swoop bike, racing towards them. And she was catching up to them!

Fears were now driving them mad. She must truly be the sister of the Yellow Rancor! The way she was driving that speeder bike like she was twenty years old or something, and her relentless pursuit to get to them particularly. They had to be the hunted and she was the predator.

" _We have to lose her! Who knows what she'll do to us?!_ " The two bikers picked up the pace and accelerated to top speeds in an effort to lose their unexpected pursuer.

Right behind, the young girl in the hood drove her swoop bike, slightly more bent in design compared to the other two speeder bikes, in hot pursuit of her new acquaintances. Her cape fluttered violently along the rough draft of wind as she put the pedal to the metal and catch up.

The chase was on as she tailed her fleeing targets throughout the streets in a wild race through unsuspecting crowds of pedestrians. The two gangsters made sharp and tricky turns here and there trying their best to shake off the stalking girl behind them; even going as far as driving right into people thinking that the girl would have no choice but to pull over and stop to prevent hurting other people.

More often than not, however, the girl was no pushover. While her targets drove recklessly and dangerously into crowds, she actually made remarkable leaps of her own bike and over the people, hovering up in the air for a brief few moments before landing safely and free of any unlucky passer-by.

After coursing through the alleyways and people-packed streets, the speeders soon reached a more dangerous section of the under level; the busy highway where landspeeders and other hovercraft zoomed throughout the roads in large lanes of heavy traffic. The lives you would have to worry about when chasing in this highway are that of your own. And that was what the Weequay bikers tried to do.

They drove on to the lane of the road where the traffic was going opposite of their course, making this a perilous bike ride for the three speeders. They passed through vehicle after vehicle, slightly putting them off course and causing more trouble for the girl behind them. If this wouldn't stop than nothing would.

After what appeared to be minutes of non-stop, daring racing across this deadly highway, the speeder bikes eventually had had enough and turned away from the road to return to the darkness of the streets.

When they stopped halfway into another alley, they looked behind to see if their run to a hellish traffic rush was worth the risk. In still silence, they watched on, waiting for the arrival of the girl on the swoop. Eventually, after a few seconds, they saw no one coming by at all.

" _I think we lost her._ " said the first Weequay.

" _Good._ " The other one wiped the sweat off from his head. " _Let's go home._ "

Finally, with the girl out of their hair, they planned to move forward and zoom on through the alley and back to business as usual.

"AARRGHHH!" Suddenly, once they looked forward, there she was again! Hitting the brakes as hard as they could, they stopped their bikes in front of the girl, their troubles were back to make them miserable.

The hooded girl stood silently, with that deceivingly adorable smile still on her face. To the thugs however, they didn't like that smile of hers at all. Having no choice, they proceeded to threaten her by showing their fists.

" _You ignorant little brat! Get lost!_ _Or should I make you run back to your mommy for 'ya?_ " threatened one of the Weequays, not caring that she was just a child. She was getting on his nerves enough to make an exception. They were going to teach her a lesson only those within the lower levels of Coruscant knew how.

The two Weequay showed off their fighting stances so the girl would take note of their dangerous fighting skills, but she just stood there like they were nothing. This prompted them to go ahead and attack the girl, put the hurt on her and make her go away.

The first Weequay charged for her and within ranger, he threw a fist at her. Seconds during his run, the hooded girl still did not even flinch, letting the bad guy slam his fist on her. The Weequay swung as hard as he could, confident that he would end this girl's stalking madness.

Suddenly, as he punched, he expected to land a hard blow on her head. But, as it happened, all he felt was nothing. His fist flew off punching the air and causing him to throw himself onto the ground, crashing head first onto the concrete floor.

His friend looked on in pure alarm, watching him take the fall and plummeted his face onto the floor. And the girl? She was gone… In the blink of an eye! She had just vanished the instant her attacker was about to land the punch on her.

" _What?!_ " He looked around to find the girl, scanning all over the alley for any signs of her. All that was left behind however was a shower of rose petals slowly coming down from where she was originally was. It gave him the hint that the girl had jumped up and released those petals for some reason.

He tried looking up for the super-fast jumper anywhere around them, checking out the balconies or the roofs for the child. After a while, it was too late to find her as all of a sudden, he felt a nasty hit on his backside, pushing him forward as well while he turned around and fell on his back to join his companion on the pavement.

The two got back up, rubbing their face or butt from their nasty falls. Something told them that it was definitely the work of their teenage pursuer, but they were surely confused as to how she could disappear in less than a second faster than a Podracer while also leaving behind an ominous display of rose petals. How did she do that? What kind of magic did she do to move in light speed?

They groggily recovered from the pressure of their falls and returned to look out for the girl again. Not long after, there she was again, right in front of them, crouched down after landing from above. Standing back up, she kept her smile intact, now feeling more like a taunting gesture to the Weequay.

The second Weequay, more aggravated than before, ran for her again before his partner followed him behind. The girl waited for the two thugs to come at her when they raised their fists towards her.

This time, she was ready for them. When they were close enough, she made a sidestep away from the incoming punch, ducking down and letting the punch fly right above her. The second Weequay came to join in the fun and, this time, she caught the arm of the attacking Weequay and tossed him behind him judo style, flinging him towards his partner. The stumbling thug tripped from the girl's defensive move and crashed into the other guy, piling up on top of him.

The Weequay at the bottom wriggled around from the weight of his friend on top of him before throwing him aside in a disgruntled grunt. He set his sights on the child again, who was now furrowing her brows, looking like she was itching for more. The expression annoyed the gangster enough that he wasted no time to try and bash her again.

Soon, it was a fist fight when the girl defended herself from a punch. After failing to hit her the first time, the Weequay went with his other hand to hit her other shoulder. Again, she managed to block the strike with her free hand, locking them into a stalemate of pushes against each other. She looked over his shoulder to see the other Weequay running towards them to lend him a hand.

The girl countered by throwing away the first Weequay with incredible strength before switching targets and prepared for the next Weequay to try his luck. The thug swung his fist again, only for the girl to catch it with both of her hands like a ball. She then threw it aside, making him vulnerable and giving her the chance to score a punch of her own. She did so and, with all her might, whacked the Weequay in the face, sending him sprawling to the ground.

The first Weequay went at her again, trying to lock her in a headlock, but she saw it coming and gave a quick spin kick to the chest and sent him away again. In a split second, the other Weequay came by and tried to punch her again. The girl caught the gangster's fist with her elbow, swiping it off before punching him in the face and delivering a sweeping kick to the ground, knocking him off his feet.

When the first thug got up, he rubbed his head from the slight concussion suffered from his knockback. He took one good look at the girl in front of him, who stood there waiting for him to make his next move. And to make things harder for her, the thug pulled out a knife with multiple sharp edges along both sides of the blade. He swung the weapon around to show his intimidation towards her. Again, she did not show any signs of backing down. And so, the knife-wielding crook made no stop to taking on the girl.

He charged forward and lunged his knife at her, aiming right for her chest. The girl bent forward and let the sharp blade reach for her. Within the edge of the knife's reach, the blade was thrown forward, only for the target to duck right under and let it pass. With her body lowered to a crouching position, she punched the thug in the stomach, immobilizing him. She then aimed for the hand holding the knife and did a hand chop to it. The gangster immediately dropped the knife upon getting stunned by the attack to his wrist before getting kicked away by the girl.

As the knife dropped from the hand, the girl quickly caught it in her hand. When the crook rose up from his fall, he could not believe his eyes when he saw the girl twirling the knife in his hand with the other hand on her hip, proudly showing her victory over his failed attempt.

The other Weequay, instead of attacking her, ran towards his partner, helping him up from the brutal punishment he had suffered. They were not facing a little harmless girl anymore. They were fighting a demon. Some unusual human being capable of moving within the speed of a pikobis lizard, striking hard without mercy and at such lightning pace. Worse still, there was nothing they could do to inflict any damage on her. She was truly the sister of the Yellow Rancor.

" _How is she pulverizing us?!_ " The first Weequay yelled.

" _Ah! Karabast!_ " groaned the other. " _You got to do things the hard way!_ " There was no point fighting hand to hand. It was time to pull out the obvious solution to dealing with the people you hate. They pulled out, from their belt holsters, a simple but deadly DL-18 pistol each. Not much of a firearm for a thug at Level 1313 compared to rifles straight out of Merr Sonn or Czerka Arms. There were even lucky crooks who operated with illegal goods like DXR disruptors and dioxis grenades. But it would have to do. Who could argue with using a blaster in situations like this? Believing that the odds were on their side, they were now more confident that they would win this battle in a single blow.

However, even with blasters involved, there was still no sign of stopping this little kid from running away. But did she have guns of her own to make this a fair-and-square gun fight?

Nope. It looked like she did not have any firearm to combat the Weequay. Either this kid shared the guts of the Yellow Rancor, or was she just being stupid?

However, that was when they witnessed the most extraordinary sight of this unfortunate encounter. The girl's smile suddenly became a frown, staring at them with a cold look on her face. Using her right arm, she reached for her back and took out something very unusual.

It looked like a sort of melee weapon; a long black metal rod with a square barrel at the tip of the rod. At the hilt, there was a small little red crescent-shaped scythe attached at the end. It was originally thought that this was a sort of combat scythe-staff hybrid. Still, they did not see how that would make things easier if they could just shoot the staff off.

Then, at the most surprising moment, the girl twirled her staff at front and pressed a button on the staff, straightening the scythe blade upwards and at the barrel, came out a long silver blade of light. The two thugs were now scared stiff at the sight of this unconventional weapon, which gave them the most straightforward hint of who this girl really was.

" _Sh-she… She's a Jedi!_ " It was given that anyone holding some laser sword in any form would be immediately identified as a Jedi, part of an order dedicated to preserving the peace of the galaxy. Now, they were coming face-to-face with one and that sent chills to their spines.

Nevertheless, desperate to get out of the situation, the two men began pulling the trigger and fired their weapon at the Jedi. Immediately as the bolts went flying, the girl now revealed to be a Jedi swung her weapon round and around, using the laser blade to deflect the energy shots to random places.

The two men kept firing for a good few seconds, but none of their shots could hit the Jedi with her blade defending her as she spun her weapon. As she successfully blocked off the shots, she moved closer to the two thugs, using the Force to sense the incoming projectiles and blasted them away.

Soon, the two men pulled on the trigger again, only to hear faint clicking sounds and no laser fire coming out of their weapons; clearly not a good sign. With them out of ammo, the girl raised her hand out, reaching out for the blasters. She then clenched her hand into a fist, and somehow, a mysterious force pulled the blasters away from their hands and dropped them on the ground.

With no other option, they pulled out their daggers again and ran for her in a last ditch effort to inflict some pain. As they swung their daggers at her, the Jedi dodged the strikes one by one, practically dancing through the barrage of knife stabs with grace and precise timing. Then again, to the thugs, for a Jedi to dodge this many strikes, even when she had a lightsaber in hand, was just insulting simply because they thought the fight could have ended as soon as she pulled out her red-bladed weapon.

When it looked like they were tired out from their failed attempts, the girl made one heck of a slash of her sabre and struck the gangsters' knives, cutting through the metal blades and leaving the weapons severed with nothing left but the hilts. Finally, with one thrust of her hands, she spread them out and pushed the two thugs together into the walls around her, knocking them hard.

She looked at the fallen crooks and saw that they both were now stirring from the utter pain of crashing into the walls. She looked to her right and saw that the first thug was now out cold. Then, to her left, the other one fared slightly better, holding the back of his head from the force of the crash.

Regardless, the fight was finally over. The Jedi spun her saber around again and unsheathed the blade back into the weapon before clipping it at her back. Her face was still showing that serious frown as she walked towards the conscious thug to her left.

When the Weequay came back to his senses, he could not properly move and thus was unable to get back up. He was now at the mercy of the Jedi who knelt down to face him while looking at him inquisitively.

"Now, then… I'll ask again." This time, instead of the sweet defenceless voice made during their first meeting, this was now a more serious and demanding. She was now clearly in control of the situation. Who knew that this tiny little girl would actually be a Jedi? Of all things?! She aimed her gaze down towards the Weequay, pressuring him to answer her question. "Where is my sister?"

The odds were against him right now. The thug had no choice but to accept defeat and give the girl what she wanted. He raised his head ready to answer her and give her the leads to the Yellow Rancor. He opened his mouth to speak and satisfy her needs.

 **BEEP BEEP**

Unfortunately for the Jedi, the questioning was interrupted by the sounds of beeping coming from her belt.

"Oh drat!" All of a sudden, the bad girl attitude was lost. Instead of going back to the sweet girl personality, this was more of a young reckless kid kind of attitude; rushed and unrefined, young and rash.

She turned around in a hurry and took out a remote device from her belt. She answered the call of her communicator and it projected the image of another Jedi in hologram form; a man wearing the traditional Jedi attire; a leather tunic underneath a thick robe and boots worn at the legs. He appeared to be older than the girl, suggesting that this must had been her Master. It seemed more evident to the fact that, when the girl wore her hood down to answer the call, at the back her hair, there was a long thin braid coming down her shoulder So, as it would turn out, this young girl was only a Padawan.

"Y-Yes, Master?" she stuttered in a panic.

" _YOUNG PADAWAN. WHERE ARE YOU?_ " asked the stern Master.

"Oh, you know!" The girl rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "Just… uh… doing my training is all. Yeah, one cannot be too prepared when it comes to Jedi business. Hehe…"

" _RUBY ROSE._ " The Jedi Master revealed the name of his apprentice, shaking his head as if not buying her lies. " _PLEASE DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE IN LEVEL 1313 AGAIN…_ "

"No! Wh-why would I be? It's not like I had anything good to do around here, right?" When she said that, she turned around to make sure her quarry had not left her presence. But, sadly, she found that there was no one there. Alarmed, she looked for the other Weequay at the next wall, only to find that he too was gone. Her little hunt for these guys was now left for naught.

"Oh, karab…" She was about to curse under her breath before she was interrupted by her Master.

" _THAT'S QUITE ENOUGH, PADAWAN_." he warned. " _REPORT YOURSELF BACK TO THE TEMPLE IMMEDIATELY. MASTER YODA WOULD LIKE TO SEE YOU. WE WILL DISCUSS THIS LATER._ "

Ruby sighed in defeat. As much as she wanted to find the crooks again, she could never disobey her Master for long. Her head down, she quietly acknowledged her Master's order.

"Yes, Master…" She then shut off the hologram and put the communicator away. She looked behind her where her targets may had run away through, disappointed that the search for her sister had been fruitless, despite coming so close to scoring a major lead. She had spent weeks, if not months, finding any sign of the Yellow Rancor, studying any possible person and place of interest, and those Weequay could had been her one and only chance to find her. But alas, she had lost it.

There was no point blaming her Master, though. She knew that it was unwise to question him, but she couldn't help but wish he didn't call her at the wrong time. She had to accept to where the chips fell however. It was time to go home, return to the upper levels and the Jedi Temple, and answer for her disobedience.

"So close… yet, so far…"

* * *

Ruby took whatever credits she had left to pay for transportation back to the Temple. An air taxi was all she could afford after spending a few days away under the guise that she was simply on a tour to hone in or her connection to the Force.

Well, she did use the power of the Force to her advantage, gaining some progress in it, but as her Master would probably put it, she used it for the wrong reasons. However, she felt that finding her sister was the right thing to do; to solve some questions regarding her family and to catch up on loose ends. She did, however, stumble into some dark territory without her Master's presence or supervision. That could score some negative remarks from him and the Council.

Riding shotgun on the taxi, sitting next to the Aqualish driver heading back to the Temple, she decided that it was time to just take a break and enjoy the fresh air of the surface. Well, fresh compared to the under levels, that is.

"Hey, sir." she called to the driver. "Do you mind putting on some music. I need to relax my nerves."

"Sure thing, ma'am." The driver gladly accepted her request and put on the radio, turning it on to the exciting track of the city's newest hit, 'Red like Roses'. Ruby closed her eyes as she let the relatable tone and feel of the ballad part of the song set her back to a past she wished she knew better. Then, she was prepared for the more anticipated part of the instrumental number bring her imaginations of her using her Jedi skills to combat large black creatures in her head.

However, that part did not come. Instead, she was put off by the sudden interruption of the song by a news broadcast. Ruby groaned at the displeasing stop to her favourite song, forced to hear in on the latest breaking story of the HoloNet News.

 _ ***Greetings, citizens of the Republic. It has come with extreme delight or regret, depending on your of view, from the inevitable response from the Chancellor himself, of the crisis of the Separatist threat. ***_

While news broadcasts like this were usually boring for Ruby, she could not help but wonder what the Supreme Chancellor himself had done. From brief conversations with her fellow Padawans and trainees, as well as some overheard talks from others, the events of numerous systems leaving the Republic were at least something worth noting.

As a Jedi, or at least training to be one, she was always told to remain vigilant in case anything should happen that required the Jedi to get involved in. This appeared to be one of those times.

 _ ***We would like to replay the speech given by the Chancellor regarding his actions to combat the Separatists. ***_

"What the-?" Ruby heard the last sentence with much thought, confused as to how he would plan to 'combat' the Separatists.

 _ ***It is with great reluctance that I have agreed to this calling. I love democracy. I love the Republic. The power you give me I will lay down when this crisis has abated. ***_

Power given to the Chancellor, Ruby thought to herself. Could this mean…? The one thing the Jedi Order had feared would come?

 _ ***And as my first act with this new authority, I will create a Grand Army of the Republic, to counter the increasing threat of the Separatists. ***_

Indeed, it was what Ruby had been afraid of. The Republic was about to build an army. An army to be mobilized against other worlds. An army to march on and protect the Republic and eliminate the threat. War… was coming…

* * *

Jedi Temple,

Coruscant,

Coruscant System,

After her uncomfortable ride home, Ruby ran for the Temple, climbing up the stairs leading to the Temple doors. On the way, she had come face-to-face with a fellow Jedi at the steps. One Velvet Scarlatina; a Faunus Jedi with long ears coming out of her hair which was tied into a ponytail. She wore a black long-sleeved shirt under a thick brown vest, with a pair of brown shorts and a pair of black leggings underneath. She was talking to a few other young Jedi when she heard Ruby calling out to her.

"Hey, Velvet!" The red-haired teen screamed, catching her attention.

"Ruby? What is the matter?" Velvet noticed the alarmed expression on Ruby's face, wondering why she was in such a hurry. Ruby stopped over, panting after a short run from the landing zone to the steps.

"Did you hear?!" She announced in between huffs. "The Chancellor has declared war on the Separatists!" To Ruby's surprise, Velvet and the other students did not look as shocked as she was.

"Umm, Ruby." Velvet said before letting the other Jedi know that she would see them later. "That was quite a few hours ago. Have you been going down underground again?" She suspiciously asked the Padawan, easily guessing the amount of time between the declaration of war and Ruby's late notice.

"Yeah, yeah, I have." She simply shrugged off the question, choosing to stick to the topic at hand. "But still, unbelievable, right?"

"It was most surprising to all of us. As you say, it's unbelievable indeed, as are most of the Senate's political endeavours, I'm afraid." The two then proceeded to walk back up and into the temple, but Ruby still kept on talking about the recent event.

"This is crazy!" Ruby exclaimed, causing Velvet to slightly flinch from the loud cry. "I mean, what will the Council do now? They would have to convince him to stop this. They can do that, can't they?" Ruby expressed her concerns out loud that she was sure to have caught a few ears around her.

The Jedi have always been revered as peacekeepers, resorting to more nonviolent and civil ways to solve conflicts between two sides of a crisis. No one, especially Ruby, could ever imagine the Jedi taking up arms and enter a war in which the galaxy could never be the same again.

She knew that the Jedi used to battle in wars before, but that was only before a thousand years ago. The times of warring with dark beings like the Sith or barbaric hordes of the Mandalorians were long gone. Even if the Republic, in which the Jedi would protect, was to start a war with some seceding planets, there was absolutely no doubt that the Jedi would stay away from this. Ruby was sure that the Jedi Council would do something to make sure to let the Republic know of the Jedi's position within the conflict.

"Ruby…" Velvet stuttered. "I… don't know how to tell you this…" Ruby looked at her friend with worry. There was something from the Faunus that she wouldn't like to hear from. Still, her curiosity was getting the best of her, prompting her to let her continue.

"Wh-what's wrong, Velvet?" The older Jedi took a brief moment to relax herself, ready to tell Ruby of the news she dreaded to repeat to. And she was sure Ruby would be just as devastated.

"We are going to join them. The Jedi are officially going to war."

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**


	2. White: Senator in Distress

**White: Senator in Distress**

 _ **A/N~ After the positive response I got from the first chapter, I was definitely motivated to carry on with another chapter. You'd probably see the pattern I'm going here as you read on, but hope you enjoy my next introductory of our next character!**_

* * *

Galactic Senate Building,

Coruscant,

In light of the transfer of emergency powers to the Supreme Chancellor and thus, his declaration of war and the building of an army for the Republic against the Separatists, the Senate was well up in arms to support Palpatine and the eventual war upon their new enemies. Senators provided their aid to the Chancellor's bidding to unite the Republic to defend themselves and combat the Separatists. But not everyone was so convinced…

There were a select few Senators who disapproved of the mobilization of the Republic against former members. They dreaded the event of a war on a scale which had never been seen for over a millennium. Yet, even with all their opposition and power, it was not enough to dissuade the much larger majority of the Senate who were willing to provide the necessary funds and other resources for many benefits; personal and mutual ones.

For one planet, the war effort was a one-way ticket to fame, glory and riches beyond anything ever perceived. It was the planet Solitas. Having been part of the Republic for thousands of years, the icy and snowy world had answered the call to help support the Chancellor in his promise for war against the Separatists.

The government believed that aiding the Republic war effort would help earn much needed business deals with other members and trust within the Senate which could push it to the point of ultimate prosperity and glory.

The only problem was that it wasn't the government which fully made the decision to become part of the war. In fact, despite its stance in the conflict, the people living in Solitas were not as jubilant about the prospect of war. Many grew to oppose the declaration of war, believing that it would put them in great danger of being besieged, just as it had been so long ago, prompting them to protest for neutrality as opposed to the full-on allegiance to the Republic.

To make things worse, the government chose to believe in the idea of wartime earnings due to the prompting of one very powerful yet greedy corporation; one that many had hated to admit, but has become very essential in the growth through their ties to this major business power.

Operating within the cities of Solitas was the Schnee Mining Corporation. A mining company centred and specialized in obtaining rare and valuable resources throughout the galaxy and selling them to planets in need of the building of their militaries should the threat emerge. And now, in the midst of war, the Schnee Mining Corporation had seized the opportunity to gain the most out of their business through the selling of their minerals and more on a vast scale.

However, even if with all the planets they could sell to, many of the Senate's other representatives did not think highly of the corporation due to its controversial methods of doing business deals. As powerful as they were, the Schnee Mining Corporation has had its fair share of opposition from the Senate and most of the Senators against them were some of the most powerful as well.

To solve the problem with its people, the Solitas government had done all it could to assure the people that Solitas would be prepared to defend itself better than ever, utilizing many military endeavours to pursue a more powerful stance. After all, among all of the systems within the Remnant Coalition, Solitas was by far the most well-armed. But even with all the shiny new weapons and ships, as well as the might of the Altesian Fleet, nothing could properly end the protests for neutrality in the war.

The people needed to see reason, they thought. So, to help soothe their sorrows and fears, the government had agreed to hold an event, courtesy of the Schnee Mining Corporation. Despite the corporation's less than stellar reputation with the Galactic Senate, the people of Solitas would as least be grateful towards the company's prospects in helping Solitas grow with the money they received.

But the one thing people adore about the Corporation was a certain representative within the family who helped make the planet maintain its beautiful side. The daughter of the corporation's owner herself.

Weiss Schnee.

The white-haired girl would always hold charity concerts throughout Solitas and, in certain occasions, attend and perform for the people of Coruscant and the Republic as a whole. Her beautiful voice and charming presence brought awe to those who heard her sing. She would chant special musical numbers about peace, freedom and hope, providing the people of Solitas the chance to live in the light of Solitas' prosperity.

However, even the charm and beauty of Weiss Schnee was not enough to convince the people of the planet's stand against the Separatists. As it turned out, the one person within the Schnee family that they admired through her voice, had just become the new Senator of Solitas.

As such, politics had taken over once again. Weiss Schnee, despite being only seventeen by the time of her appointment, had agreed to represent the planet in the Senate and support the war effort. A position not many would highly regard. The announcement of the young Schnee becoming a Senator brought a mixture of hope and disgust within the people of Solitas, not to mention the same opponents of Solitas in the Senate, who thought of the idea of a Schnee becoming a Senator brought with it corruption and greed, as did most of the Corporation's business deals.

Nevertheless, Weiss moved on, proudly able to present herself to the Senate and show them that Solitas was ready for war on behalf of the government. She too believed that her father's Corporation would be able to bring the Republic much needed resources to help build up the new Grand Army itself. She hoped that even being involved in the political field, her admiration for the people of Solitas and their own love for her back would help convince the people that Solitas would be grander than ever through joining this war.

Personally, she found the Separatists to be quite weak and disgusting, choosing to leave the Republic to terrorize worlds to their benefits. A feeling which many of her opponents would find ironic considering that her father had also adopted some of these unfairly ideals.

Now, she left the gigantic chamber and the cheers of the crowd towards the Chancellor behind, she was accompanied by a man almost twice her size, wearing combat gear and armed with a staff. She was called out early due to a call from her father that she would perform for the people of Solitas again; this time to give hope to her fans that she would do her best to work with allies and win the war for the Republic and Solitas itself.

She wore a rather elegant dress fit for the sophisticated; an icy blue strapless dress with a skirt going down all the way to her feet while also wearing a long-sleeved white coat over it with sleeves made to look like bells. She wore her hair into two buns at the sides and a snowflake-shaped crown stuck on top of her neatly combed hair. To keep her hair neat and tidy, she wore a simple black headdress that kept the hair down. On her chest was a silver crown-shaped pendant that was knitted on the chest area of the dress. The dress itself was made with a gradation of ice blue and white, giving off a cold yet beautiful feel, which fit right into the theme of her home planet. **(A/N~ I'm terrible with thinking about fashion unless I draw it out physically, so I'll be doing up a simple sketch and painting to her design later on in deviantArt in the future.)**

As she walked along the curved corridor, passing through other dignitaries and politicians, she came across a couple of Senators who were discussing something about the Chancellor's declaration of war.

One Senator was very pale in a bad way, wrinkly and frail, but still standing proud and straight over his counterpart. The other Senator was a woman dressed in a peace-looking white dress and with short orange hair, talked to the former with much reluctance, suggesting a rather divided debate among the two.

As Weiss approached the two, they took notice of her presence, turning to greet the young Senator. The male Senator came forward to kiss her hand, a gesture not well taken from the disgusted Schnee herself.

"Greetings." he welcomed with a sultry voice. "So, you must be the new Senator of Solitas."

"Indeed, I am." Weiss proudly acknowledged.

"You look…" The Umbaran Senator grasped his chin, judging the Senator's look.

"Elegant? Beautiful?" Weiss helped to finish the sentence, but immediately, she would receive the blunt end of a Senator's distaste.

"Too young…" snarled the male Senator. Weiss was absolutely shocked by the uncalled for remark. In fact, the way the Umbaran took it, it almost sounded more like an insult.

"Excuse me?!" she snapped, blasting away with arrogance. "Do you know who you're talking to?"

"Disrespectful attitude. Egotistical pride. Indeed, a Schnee if I ever met one." The other Senator joined in with more respect and grace, but firm in her judgement.

"And if I'm not mistaken, your older sister would have been eligible to take the seat in the Senate instead." reminded the first Senator. "But then again, she is in the military. So, I have a reason to believe that your father must be desperate enough to make a seventeen-year-old like you represent Solitas in the Senate." Weiss was about to rant again, when a hand was raised in front of the pale-faced Umbaran.

"That's enough, Senator Deechi." affirmed the woman next to him. "We shall discuss our debate some other time." Taking her request to heart, the Umbaran Senator bowed in farewell and left the two female Senators on their own, snarling under his breath.

"You disgust me, Senator Mothma." uttered Weiss. "I am honoured to take the title as Senator of Solitas. And I shall serve that role proudly and for the people of my world."

"It appears you have been in the dark for too long, my dear." sighed the Senator of Chandrilla. "I am aware of your people's opinion in war. Right now, I hear that the people are pushing towards neutrality in our unfortunate conflict against the Separatist Alliance. It is a pity, really, that your government continues to jeopardize their freedom of speech."

"My father knows what is best for the planet." insisted Weiss. Nerved by the older Senator's claim of her planet scrutinizing its own inhabitants, she was not going to let her act go just because some Senator told her so.

"He is an owner of an old mining company. One known for its controversial labour laws and questionable business deals."

"But it is still one of the most important, mind you. One that the Republic would all too well accept." Weiss pointed out. "And as long as the government is on his side, we will assure to the Republic that victory is at hand. Whether we like or not, we will have Solitas prosper from our contributions to the war effort."

The Chandrillan Senator remained silent, watching this girl speak against her with pride. She would like to admit that the young Schnee had devotion to making sure her planet attains the goods to help people's lives, but her rather unpleasant behaviour and blinding loyalty to her father and his corporation continued to make her even more unsettling for Mon Mothma.

It was easy to see why the Solitas government refused to listen to its own people. It was greed, lust for power and riches courtesy of the Schnee Mining Corporation. Something she saw in most of the other Senators in the room…

"Very well, Senator Schnee." Finally, Mon Mothma had decided to not question Weiss any further, knowing that this conversation would not reach a happy ending if she kept going on. "I shall respect your resolve." She then bowed to the Schnee and left her there speechless of the Senator's leaving.

However, she did have one last thing to remind Weiss of. "But I must warn you. Even those with power can easily be shaken by the will of the people, especially when the only ones they care about are themselves…" And with that, the Senator disappeared away into the corridor. Weiss just stood there, unamused by Mothma's final words to her before leaving.

She would show everyone in the Senate that Weiss Schnee shall help to make Solitas and the Republic more powerful than ever. There was no backing down from this. All in a day's work for a Senator, she supposed.

 _ **The Schnee will rise to the occasion and we will be more powerful than ever.**_

She and her bodyguard resumed their trek; the man having heard the whole exchange, but refused to talk about it for fear of a rebuke from the Schnee.

Little did they know that someone was watching them from outside the building, peering from behind a window and on top of a building next to the Senate Chamber. The figure watched on as Schnee continued to walk off back to her ship to Solitas, planning on making it there before she does.

* * *

Outside a landing zone, far away from the Senate building, filled with parked airspeeders and taxis along lanes of spots, Weiss and a squad of her bodyguards, with the exception of her most trusted guard earlier, were heading for their transport back to her hotel, where she would pack up and leave for Solitas to begin the first of her planet's propaganda movement.

It was dark at night and not a single soul in sight, so the guards were extra careful and alert of their surroundings in case anyone would try to pull off a hurtful act on the Senator. The Schnee were not always invulnerable, as many had fallen victim to numerous attacks and assassination attempts. On her first day, Weiss had to learn it the hard way.

Her transport was a white and blue Luxury 3000 space yacht, which was given to her family as gift through a business partnership with SoroSuub Corporation. Sleek in design and luxurious and comfortable on the inside, it could also cruise at a speed to avoid any unnecessary entanglements.

She was sided by two lines of three guards each while walking towards her ship. Her hair was now worn free of the buns and headdress that kept it short. She was just about a few feet away from the boarding ramp leading into her ship, about walk into the safety of her cruiser.

 **BOOOMM!**

Suddenly, it came out of nowhere. A large explosion rocked the entire area, knocking Schnee and her guards of their feet. Debris started to fly everywhere with smoke trailing behind each piece.

Shaken by the massive blast, Weiss stayed on the ground for a while before getting up from the force of the blast. Her head reeled with the constant ringing in her ears and the blurring of her vision. She started to recover from her encumbering when she saw the dreadful sight of her ship being blown to pieces.

All around her, her guards had all fallen as well, though they were all still alive. Weiss got back up to her feet and headed over to help her guards up.

"Come on!" she begged. "Get up, trooper!" She shook one of them up with both of her hands, pushing his body front and back until the guard eventually stirred from out of unconsciousness. The guard grabbed the side of his royal helmet and shaking his head from the dizzy nausea he had suffered from the shock.

"Milady…" he dizzily called. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, trooper." assured Weiss. "But our ship has been blown up!"

"Ugh…" The trooper got up to find the burning wreckage of the totalled luxury yacht. They were sure all of the people nearby could have heard the blast. She and the guard moved to pick up the rest of the fallen bodyguards in the area, grabbing the ones who were not able to move at all while helping the more fortunate ones to their feet.

As everyone recollected and helped out the wounded, Weiss made for one of the guards to discuss what had happened and what to do then.

 _ **We are not cowards. We are the Schnee family. We do not cower in times of glory and prosperity…**_

"I need two men to get the wounded out of here." ordered the head guard. "Everyone else still able, find out what happened." The other guards saluted, following his commands as two men volunteered to help the injured men out of the site. In the meantime, the rest of the guards walked off in search of any leads or anyone who could be responsible. The lead guard then approached the Senator. "Milady. Get to safety."

Then, instead of humbly accepting the guard's request, Weiss held out a hand, insisting on staying put to find out who would dare threaten her life. Almost a bold yet suicidal move Senators had ever pulled off before her.

"No." she said. "I will find out who did this to my ship and dares to kill me."

"But…" The guard kept on trying to convince her to stay out of harm's way, but Weiss could not accept disobedience from a royal guard.

"That is an order, soldier." She snapped coldly. The guard knew not to disobey the Senator and thus, let the Schnee carry out her own end of investigating who tried to kill her.

Now alone, Weiss was free to move about and find her would-be assassin. She took in a deep breath before moving away from the wreckage of her ship and towards the dark yet crowded space of parked vehicles, where little light illuminated only a fraction of the darkness.

 _ **The Schnee are never without our enemies. We must face them head on if we are to become what we are destined to be…**_

She delved deeper into the unknown, without anyone to watch her back. one would think a lonely Senator out in the open would be a dead Senator already, but Weiss was willing to take the chance. If anything, she would like to bear witness to the face of her attacker head on, honouring the Schnee name to defy any danger thrown at her.

It was getting very eerie the deeper she went. Other than the scurrying of some disgusting vermin within the vehicles, the Senator could hear nothing around her, making her even more vigilant of her surroundings. She looked hard and long, even as she was surrounded by darkness.

She then entered a cross junction where again, nothing but transports parked everywhere around her with only a dim light shining on her in the middle. Weiss still looked on, trying even harder to search for her assassin. Eventually, after minutes of searching, she began to feel like putting an end to the hunt and accept that the assassin must had fled the scene. However, she still could not easily give up.

A Schnee was always a hot target for any potential enemy. There was no point running from the danger. If history proved anything; a cowardly Schnee is a dead Schnee, which was why she had to train extra hard in the art of combat and war in preparation for what could happen to her. As luck would have it, unfortunately, she would have a lot of enemies to face.

That was when she would end up meeting her first enemy face-to-face.

 **CLICK!**

"Huh?" From out of the shadows, she heard a faint clicking noise coming from out of nowhere.

 **BWUIM!**

A loud bang was heard. In no time, Weiss was alerted to the danger and quickly ducked before the yellow energy shot could hit her. The shot passed, hitting an airspeeder behind her. Reflexes from her years in training had saved her life.

Now, she was sure that someone was still out there to silence her for good, and it was time to meet her assassin and challenge whoever he or she was.

"Who are you?!" "You dare threaten the life of…!"

 **BRROOMMMM!**

Suddenly, another shocking blast was heard. This one sounded off longer than any gunshot. The zooming sound got closer as Weiss saw what appeared to be a trail of boosting flames coming out of something flying her way.

It landed, revealing itself to be a person, crouching down from its brief flight to the ground. The figure soon showed his true form. He rose as a warrior, from the looks of his armour.

Silver body armour worn on his torso with some simple carving on it. He also wore a black long-sleeved shirt and long pants underneath the armour with pads strapped onto the shoulders and knees. Probably most intimidating of all was what was worn over the head.

A helmet with two sharp spikes on the top sides of it, and a T-shaped visor with the two ends of the letter being triangle-shaped.

"Whoever you are, you picked on the wrong Schnee…" Weiss reached for her pocket, ready to defend herself against her attacker. From there, she took out a small short sword, silver all over with a thin blade with multiple edges along it. A pair of patterns lined up on the blade made of glass. The hilt of the sword was built with a cylindrical chamber in the middle, and a trigger at the grip of the weapon.

 _ **Steady yourself. Do not falter. A Schnee never falters… especially in poise and balance…**_

She kept her legs straight, faced her side towards her opponent and pointed her blade towards her opponent in a sophisticated style, gentle but deadly. Graceful yet strong. She waited for her enemy to make the first move. All there was a minute of silence and no movement came from either side.

The armoured assassin waited for the Senator to make her own move as well. He was quite surprised that his target was defiant against him, how some fancy heiress of a business corporation could actually have the guts to stand up against him. But he let her have it her way, drawing out a pair of weapons at his disposal; a blaster on one hand and a long black and white sword on the other. Seeing that her opponent had a gun on his side, Weiss pulled out another weapon from her belt; a white DT-29 revolver; a gift from an officer and family friend, who was assigned to the Republic Corps of Engineers.

Finally, the Senator completed her preparation by removing the long skirt coming down her legs, dropping it on the ground. In its place was a shorter but sturdier combat skirt which would help her gain more manoeuvrability against her opponent.

The two were now engaged in a duel of unorthodox proportions; blade and blaster in hand for each side. The standoff lasted another minute as they assessed each other's stances.

Then, wasting no more time, the assassin moved first, aiming his sword towards Weiss. The Senator prepared to meet the dark vibrosword with her own weapon. When they got close, the blades finally clash.

Weiss' silver edgy blade struck the smoother blade of the assassin before pushing each other off; the two once again at opposite ends. The assassin charged forward again and swung his sword from above, striking down on the Schnee. She managed to defend herself by parrying the sword strike with her own, protecting her head from being split into two.

The moment she broke off the attack, she made her own attempt, slicing from the side. The assassin also blocked her attack and let a flurry of continuous sword strikes hit his blade over and over without any window of opportunity for the next few seconds.

Once the Senator was done with her barrage, the assassin made his move and escaped the thin blade's wrath by flipping backwards in the air. In mid-air, the armoured warrior fired his blaster on Weiss, letting loose a few shots of yellow lasers towards her.

Weiss practically danced through the blitzing lasers as she dragged backwards as if she was skating on ice while the bolts all hit the ground. She then gave her revolver a shot and fired one round of her own. A blue laser flew for the assassin, only for him to use his blade to knock away the shot.

Soon, the swords duel became a gunfight as the two traded blaster fire using their firearms. They ran sideways, shooting their weapons while they sped for cover. Laser shots made holes across the area, vandalizing vehicles and walls alike.

Weiss took cover behind an airspeeder while the assassin used his jetpack to accelerate up onto a storage trailer; both ceasing fire to reload their guns. The assassin was the first to finish up loading a new energy charge and looked across from the trailer for the Senator, not knowing her exact position from his running.

Weiss then finished reloading, ready to fire again. She then slowly poked her head over her cover spot, looking for the crook. The moment she popped out, a blaster shot nearly zapped her head off, hitting the bumper of the vehicle almost inches away from her face and forcing her to retreat back to cover.

As the Senator hid back, the assassin moved forward, blaster locked onto the vehicle Weiss was still behind. He slowly stepped bit by bit trying not scare her out of stepping forward and shooting at him. With his quiet steps, Weiss would be unable to hear the assassin approaching her.

While he was about to get close, Weiss waited for the right time to make her move to shoot back. She grabbed the pistol to her head, hearing for any steps within the silence. All the while, she heard nothing. She couldn't hear the assassin coming for her and the suspense was killing her. She was itching to move and end the fight.

 _ **Compose yourself… A Schnee must know bravery within the face of adversity…**_

She took a deep breath to get herself back to focus. With one strong urge to move, she pushed herself forward and had her finger on the trigger to fire upon her opponent straight to his face. However, when she popped out, all she saw was nothing and no one. The assassin had vanished…

The Senator didn't know what to expect. The assassin could pop out of anywhere and get an edge on her. She took the chance and walked forward, blaster aimed around and her other free hand to her holstered blade. She crept forward, scanning the area for any sign of her attacker.

A minute had passed and still, nothing came out to get her. The quiet atmosphere gave Weiss the chills as she continued to look for the assassin. The dark parking zone provided no such trace of his whereabouts, apart from the collateral damage left behind by their gun fight.

Then, Weiss spun around. From out of nowhere, the assassin leapt from nowhere and thrust his blade towards her. She acted quickly and pulled out her Myrtenaster blade before the enemy's blade could cut her down, barely saving herself from a nasty end.

The two parted their blades in a flash before resuming another flurry of sword clashes. Weiss was more on the defensive; choosing to let the assassin wear himself out as he swung on while she did her best to defend or dodge every slash thrown at her. Swing after swing, block after block, the two continued

The assassin swung from the side with Weiss blocking the attack again. She made her move and swung her arm around to swipe the assassin. This time, she was successful in making the shot, scoring a hit by scratching the shoulder and forcing the assassin back.

The helmet-wearing warrior looked at the damage caused by the Schnee; a long slash mark across the armour pad. He looked back at Weiss, who was smirking at her successful strike on the warrior's armour. Growling inside, the assassin felt his fists shaking in fury, refusing to be humiliated by a mere rich girl and her antiquated choice of weaponry.

His anger was fuelled and the assassin dashed forward to get his payback with Weiss ready for more. The assassin definitely amped up his game as he swung his sword even stronger than before.

Weiss felt the increase of strength rather well, the force of the initial blow almost knocked her blade off her hand. But she persevered, allowing the assassin to let his rage out on her. He swung forward as Weiss parried the strike with her blade upwards. Another swing to the leg and Weiss perfectly caught his blade before it could do the damage there. The third time he tried to attack the Senator by lunging forward to her chest, Weiss again dodged the attack and let the blade run past her before giving the assassin a shove away from her.

 _ **When the opportunity arises… a Schnee knows when to take the goods while they are still within reach.**_

Now, it was Weiss' turn to attack, rushing forward to seize the chance to take on the warrior while he was being tossed aside. The assassin did not have much time to react as he haphazardly pulled out his blaster and fired aimlessly at the Senator. Unfortunately for Weiss, this had put her off from her attempt to attack the hunter. She then nearly fell as she dragged her feet to stop her advance.

 _ **But… a Schnee must advance with pride… not foolishness.**_

Once the Senator had stopped, the assassin made his move again and fired his blaster at Weiss. The Senator let her blade protect her, shifting her body around to deflect the blaster fire with haste. The sudden trick the assassin had pulled completely damaged her focus as panic overrode her arrogance.

The armoured assassin kept firing his weapon at her, pushing her backwards more and more. Finally, down to his last shots, one blaster bolt did the trick; sniping the Schnee's blade away from her hand. He struck with rapid speed, making the move to kill. Weiss was just about to get her blaster out, but the assassin was quicker and in one fell swoop…

 **SLASH!**

Pain. There was only that…

Weiss was suddenly riddled with agonizing pain and shock as the blade of the assassin slashed her left eye. She closed her eyes just in time, but the blade had already seared through the skin of her eyelid, barely protecting the eye itself, but left a gashing wound across the skin surrounding it.

 _ **Failure must NOT be tolerated. Failure only leads to weakness. Weakness… leads to disaster…**_

She held her hands to her injured eye as a terrible stinging feeling surged throughout while holding in her desire to scream painfully by gritting her teeth so hard they could almost shatter. The pain was too much for the Senator to take as blood trickled down her face, nearly staining the otherwise clear white dress as it dropped to the floor. She had no choice but to fall to the floor to put pressure on the wound.

The assassin saw his chance at last. Sharpening his blade with his shoulder pad, he walked forward to finish off the fallen Schnee. He could just run forward and end it, pierce his blade right to the heart of this whiny Senator, but even he felt like it would be a waste of time. Instead, he decided to do it the old fashion way.

Slit the throat and watch as the target gasp her last breath.

Weiss just sat there, still clutching her eye. Her hands were now full of blood from the wound. She opened her other eye to see her would-be killer approaching her, blade dropped down to the floor and dragged along to deliver an ear-jerking screeching sound.

There was almost nothing she could do but massage the pain, and that was probably going to be her last action.

 _ **A Schnee is untouched, undeterred, and undefeated...**_

She couldn't have the time to use her weapons; get the blade back or even use her blaster. She was suffering too much pain in her eye to do anything. Without a proper vision, she felt hopeless to stop her killer from ending her life. She could only back away, letting go of her one arm to drag herself backwards while the other hand still held her wound.

For all her life, she never suffered such a heavy blow in forever. The wound was going to be a constant scar, not only physical, but also a mental one. She would never let this slip past her family. A completely terrible wound which she would not take lightly.

Not that the assassin cared anyway. He just steadied his blade for the kill, ready to put an end to this sophisticated scum of a target. He raised the blade in the air and finally slammed it towards the girl, supposedly ending the fight and the life of a Schnee who just got elected as a Senator.

 **CLASH!**

 _ **It is not over…**_

No. It was not over…

The blade had just stopped when it hit, not the fleshy skin of a Senator, but rather the hard, solid metal of her weapon…

The assassin watched in shock as Weiss somehow pulled her blaster at the last moment as a last ditch effort to protect herself from a fatal blow. She had her head down, still trying to ignore the pain suffered at her eye.

Then, slowly she raised her head to face her assassin. A trail of blood was seen from top to bottom across her eye. She was able to open the eye to reveal that the eye was still intact and rather healthy, as if the blade had never struck it in the first place. With both of her eyes staring coldly at her attacker, it was time to deliver her ultimate pay back.

 _ **Even as a Schnee falls, one must NEVER show weakness.**_

With one push, she shoved the assassin away before cocking her revolver to shoot a nicely-aimed hit on his blaster, sending it flying away from his hand. The warrior himself staggered back from the force of Weiss' last-second counter.

The Schnee then rose to her feet and picked up her Myrtenaster from the floor. She then decided to sheathe her blaster away but not before looking at the huge gapping crack on the blaster's top. She was going to have to explain this to the person who gifted the weapon to her.

All she had left was Myrtenaster; the one weapon that proved to be her saving grace more times than she could count. The blade has been part of her family for generations and has protected and served the Schnee for countless centuries. Now, with the honour of the family in her hands, she knew she had to rise up and take the blade as her own. She was going to put it to good use and defeat this assassin, once and for all.

 _ **Do not let those who oppose us seize the day.**_

In a surprising twist, Weiss moved her index finger to a button on the sword hilt. Pressing the button, it triggered the revolving chamber and clicked it in place. The fancy patterns on her blade began to light up in a bright orange-red light and could feel a rise in heat around the metal blade. And then, the biggest surprise of all; the sword began brighten up into a fiery flame surging across the blade. It was no Jedi's lightsaber, but it was certainly spectacular nonetheless.

Admiration had to wait. Weiss had some ground to regain. Her heart and blood burning as hot as the fire around her weapon. If she was going to go back home with the scars forced into her, she was going to at least come home with a victory to compensate for the tragic pain she had endured from her enemy.

 _ **Fight for your victory. Fight for glory. Fight…**_

 _ **For the Schnee family name…**_

And the fight continued. With a fiery sword in hand, Weiss flew forward to challenge her bewildered opponent. She swung her weapon at the warrior, a blazing trail following behind. The searing hot blade collided with the assassin's own and the flames fanned towards him. He could feel the heat flushed upon his hands, causing him to flinch from the sudden burn.

Weiss was hardly done. She then swished her sword again, poking towards the assassin's face which pushed him back from being burned by the scorching blade. He tried to counter back with his blade, but the Senator blocked the attack and furiously brushed it aside. It was as if the fire projected from the blade was also giving her more power in her strikes, but in truth, it was her growing anger towards her foe that was driving her to the extreme.

Yet, the angered heiress was still being as graceful as she could, sliding through her enemy like competing against another lousy ice skater. She danced her way through on and on, fencing and lunging her weapon at the assassin while he desperately tried to defend himself from the furious swipes. Every burning slice she made only made him even more agitated and cautious of his movements.

She swung left and right; the assassin successfully parrying the strikes before he spun backwards to fire his blaster at Weiss. The Senator focused on the energy bolts and used her blade to block the projectiles like a Jedi Knight would with his or her lightsaber, only without the lasers being bounced back towards the shooter.

He then switched back to his own sword and resumed fighting the Senator close up. He lashed out his weapon at the Schnee's own, trying to swipe it off her hand. However, Weiss' determination had clearly made her stronger, allowing her to withstand strike after strike. The flame on her sword helped to destabilize her opponent's stance as the fire burnt over him with each lashing.

The assassin threw with all his might and made one more powerful power slash on the Schnee, hoping that she would run out of energy at this point. Ironically, it was pretty much the other way around.

Finally, Weiss had just about enough of this foolish conflict. It was going to end with one outcome. Her victory.

She clicked on the button on her sword again and the chamber loaded in a new form of energy to her blade. The flame of her sword had been snuffed out, replaced by a colder and brighter aura sprinkling white snowflake-like particles as it filled the blade. An icy power befitting a Senator of Solitas.

With her sword now powered with the freezing aura, Weiss sped forward and slashed her blade at the assassin. Now, every swing brought with it a chilling surge that would somehow race up to the enemy's blade and sting his arm from the freezing power. If that was the case, then the assassin had to be careful not to get Myrtenaster to strike his body for fear of a direr consequence.

There was no mercy from the Senator as she carried on slashing and throwing her cold power towards the assassin, slowing him down by giving his body almost numbing sensations and thus weakening him. The fight was almost one-sided as he began to lose grip on his weapon. Then, he made one desperate effort and swung forward to take Weiss by surprise. However, his swing was just too slow and stumbled forward.

This gave Weiss the opportunity to finish this fight for good. As the assassin's back was facing her, she gave one spin and gave her sword one huge swing and, coupled with its freezing power, made a final strike at the assassin's back. The back armour padding was scratched with one huge cut at the otherwise durable metal.

The assassin himself felt the full blow of the cut, searing through his skin. It felt like his flesh had been torn apart, but it was really the tangling feeling of the sword's aura stinging into his body. The freezing fury of the weapon had taken a toll on his body, making it entirely numb in one go. Unable to feel his body anymore, the warrior could not move properly as he weakly fell to the ground almost like a branch with no signs of movement on his limbs.

Weiss had come around after her attack and turned to watch her attacker now flat on the floor. She clutched her eye again after enduring the stinging pain from the wound. She wanted to grin and mock her opponent, but her wounds were too unbearable to even muster joy in her victory.

All she could do now was walk forward and address the assassin's defeat, let him answer for his crimes against a member of the Schnee family and Senator of the Republic. She came to his fallen body with caution, hoping that her attack did its job.

The body of the assassin continued to stay still as Weiss came closer to him. It looked like he already bit the bullet, defeated by the sheer might of the Senator's power and grace in battle. Weiss kept on inching closer to his fallen body, anticipating her victory upon him would lead to a better understanding on whatever it was that was targeting her or anyone involved with her. To be sure, she kept her weapon pointed at him in case he would pull off anything foolish.

She was about a foot away from the assassin; blade still directed at him. Then, that was when she noticed movement from the fallen warrior. She stopped herself to give her opponent some space to see what he would do now that he was practically defenceless.

However, it was far from the truth. Suddenly, in an instant, the assassin managed to twist his body and deliver a blinding kick to Weiss' hand. The force of the kick knocked her weapon away from her hand. The Senator was too stunned to act back, baffled by the assassin's persistence against the elements. It would also seem like the guy was faking his injuries to sucker punch her.

As she looked on, the assassin just jumped back up and stared down on the Senator. It was now his turn to overpower his opponent. Weiss panicked and grabbed for her blaster to try and shoot him down. However, the warrior was quicker as he fired his own weapon at her own, blasting it away like he did with Myrtenaster.

Finally, the last thing he did to her was give her one more painful kick to the chest and all Weiss could do was let the foot slam her and force her down to the ground. The warrior's foot smashed her down tightly, making it impossible to get back up. She tried to punch the leg of the warrior and that was all she could do. But the warrior continued to stare down at his quarry. Once he grabbed his blaster, he aimed it at the Senator's head.

Weiss was now faced with a blaster to her face, instantly shutting her down of all attempts to free herself from the assassin's foothold. Hope was lost before her eyes and there was almost nothing she could do now. Her first day as a Senator may had well been her last… She closed her eyes, waiting for the worst to happen.

The assassin's finger inched closer to grip the trigger and was about to fire the weapon mercilessly, giving himself a few seconds to watch her opponent cower a little more before her much deserved death…

" _Momma!_ "

Suddenly, the assassin was triggered by the sound of a high-pitched voice coming from behind him. He turned around and there he saw two people watching him about to commit the execution. Weiss too had seen the two people when she heard that cry and was horrified to see what was going on. The two people were a mother and a child…

An Ithorian mother with her kid were probably about to enter her air transport when they caught the sight of the assassin about to claim his kill. The child grew horrified at the haunting sight of the assassin's horrid look, while the mother shield her son by putting him behind her, but she too was frightened by the deathly stare of the warrior looking at them.

To the assassin, these two Ithorians, no matter how innocent they were, had seen what he was going to do. They had just become witnesses to a crime… There was only one way this had to end.

"No." Weiss mumbled in horror, fearful for what the assassin was about to do. And indeed, her suspicions were confirmed. The assassin kept the Senator pinned to the floor before he moved his blaster and aimed it at the family. "NO!"

The child moved deeper behind his mother, now in tears and crying for his mother. The mother herself bent down to comfort her child, but she could not keep her eyes off the killer who was about to shoot them. She constantly begged him not to shoot, letting out a hand and trying to show that she and her child needed each other.

The assassin didn't listen and had his finger wrapped around the weapon trigger and ready to fire. With no option left, a helpless Weiss and the family covered their eyes; the mother giving her child one last embrace before their impending doom.

Then, at once, the assassin…

…

…

Nothing…

"Huh?" Weiss opened her eyes to see the doomed family. She was certain the assassin had finished them off in cold blood. But to her utter surprise, the mother and child were far from killed.

They were still alive and standing. The mother too looked up, surprised about her survival. What happened to the assassin? Was he not going to shoot? Did he run out of ammo? Or… could it be?

No, Weiss thought. There was no way he could have had hesitated. She had spent that entire ten minutes fighting this assassin who had tried to take her life, engaging her in a merciless duel that ended in the cutting of her left eye and almost driven to the point of her execution.

Then, she looked up to see the assassin with his foot still down on her stomach and blaster aimed at the Ithorian family. And that was it. He just stood there just looking at the family, still as a statue. But nothing had happened. It just stayed that way for a minute.

For a moment, Weiss could have sworn she had seen something quite peculiar. The assassin looked at the Ithorians a little longer before, in a surprising twist, pulled away his blaster, not going to commit his bloody rampage on anyone.

Weiss just stared at the strange occurrence with so much confusion. The Ithorians wasted no time and ran for their lives away from the crime scene. The assassin still stayed put. Weiss couldn't see it, but if she could, she would have noticed that his head had lowered down, as if he had somehow regretted threatening the mother and child.

However, she had no time to know for sure. Suddenly, there was a soothing sound that relaxed her nerves. It was the sounds of sirens roaring from afar. The assassin noticed this too and looked back at the Senator. Weiss stayed still, again, fearing that she was not out of the woods yet. He could still end her life here and now before anyone could do anything.

But, she had not expected what had happened next. The assassin just lifted his foot away and stepped away from the fallen Schnee. She hesitated a little, but she then lifted herself up to relieve herself of the aching she had taken from being stepped on for that long minute. Her head was down when she clutched her stomach, but when she looked up to face her would-be killer, she was shocked to find that the assailant was nowhere to be found.

He was gone, leaving Weiss behind, shattered and cut up and almost to the point of death. But still, she survived, no more threatened by the assassin in any way. He must had fled the scene before the authorities could even arrive.

Weiss didn't care though. As curious as she was, why that assassin did not do what was meant for her didn't matter. Help had arrived and she was lucky enough to survive. But the damage had been done and now she feared that her image would be scarred if she didn't do anything about the wound in her eye and the explanation for falling victim to her almost-killer to her father.

"Senator Schnee!" Then, she was suddenly called upon by the alarmed voice of her head bodyguard. He was seen running towards her with the utmost concern. The guard stopped in front of her, frantic to know of her condition. "Are you alright, milady?" When he laid his eyes on her face, however, there was only horror. A bleeding trail of blood coming across her left eye. "Your eye…" He could only keep his mouth agape after witnessing the injury sustained to her. Weiss just shook her head, not wanting to discuss further of the humiliating topic.

"I'm fine, captain." she insisted forcefully. It was not enough to deter the captain of her guard, who continued to show his concern for her.

"But…" The captain tried to voice out, but his words went interrupted as Weiss raised her hand in front of him.

"Captain…" she slowly but strictly said. "I. Am. Fine…" Just watching the Senator's face of distress was enough to silence the captain. He had no choice but to comply with the heiress' demand to skip the subject.

"As you wish, milady." He bowed hesitantly, not wanting to go on any further. But the worries continued to linger in his head. Nevertheless, he returned to accompanying the Senator to safety while the city's security droids swarmed into the scene to clean up and identify the damages.

Weiss cursed mentally, knowing that she would have to answer some questions once she had recovered from her encounter. She did not want to think about having her father's corporation paying for the damages done by her scuffle with the assassin.

Speaking of whom, she had wondered who the attacker was. Where did he come from? What was his motive for her killing? If he was a bounty hunter, who would be so cold to put a price on her head? All of her questions really needed to be answered.

"Although I wish I knew of the fiend responsible for the attempt on my life." she expressed her concern aloud. Then, her thoughts had caught the attention of her captain, who stopped her in her tracks, catching her by surprise.

"What did he look like? What did he want from you?" he asked. Weiss grabbed her eye after some stinging resumed. But she took it like a Schnee and braved the pain. Once she relieved herself of her pain, she continued to answer her loyal captain.

"I don't know." she shook her head, feeling unsure of what to make of her attacker. All she could provide were the physical details. "From the looks of it, the assassin appeared to be wearing some combat uniform. He was armed with a blaster and a blade. An ancient blade if you ask me." She relayed all the information given to her guard and for the last bit, she somehow mentioned to him the more significant details.

"And he was a strange helmet with a T-shaped visor and flew around in a jetpack and…"

"Wait!" Suddenly, her captain spoke in a shocked manner. "Did you say, helmet with a T-shaped visor?" The look on his face indicated much to Weiss. There was something he could had known about what that helmet was and what could it mean for the assassin. She immediately asked him again.

"Captain?" She called for him, but all she got was him walking off, holding his chin as he pondered on. Weiss grew impatient right away, eager to know what he had in mind. "I demand to know what you are implying to." Finally, after making sure that his suspicions were spot on, he turned back to face the woman he had been chosen to protect.

That was all he was meant to do. Protect Weiss Schnee, and nothing more. But as an associate of the Schnee Mining Corporation, he felt that he needed to report anything involving possible threats against her. Thus, he knew he had to tell Weiss about what he feared would come.

"Your Grace." he stated. "We have to deliver you back to Solitas immediately." Weiss thought to herself; yes. That was what she was going to do anyway. However, the urgency was evident in her captain's face. This could mean something was just not right with the situation. Something… dangerous.

"You are in danger, milady." the captain continued. "And from what you described your assassin to be, I'm afraid we could be dealing with the worst kind of assassins."

Now, it was starting to make sense. Weiss knew that of all the possible culprits or threats out there to endanger her and her family, there was only one so ruthless, so merciless that could be described as such by the captain.

"You mean…?" Weiss frowned, afraid. She wanted to hope that her captain had been referring to something else that could be deemed doable in dealing with, but the captain just nodded.

"Yes, milady." He said, before delivering the answer that sent shivers down Weiss' spine. "Mandalorians."

* * *

Not far from where Weiss had overcome her brush with death, someone else was watching her from afar. Above the rooftops of a nearby building, a lone figure hid behind a power generator, where the shadows concealed him from the blinding spotlight of a passing security hovercraft. Once the vehicle had passed, the figure emerged into the light of a neon sign, revealing himself to be none other than the assassin.

After his failed assassination attempt, he continued to watch his quarry escorted out of the parking lot. He could only shake his head, regretting letting the Senator go.

The assassin, wanting to refresh himself from the stress and frustration of losing his chance of killing the Senator, removed his helmet, revealing his head.

However, after the helmet was taken off, long black hair came dropping down, freed by the compressed space of his helmet. On top of the head, there was a peculiar feature to the assassin.

A pair of feline ears…

And the face was pale and presented somewhat with beauty and softness. But the only thing that stood out were the pair of yellow glowing eyes which looked quite different from any human ones; the irises being smaller like a cat's. A black headband wrapped around the forehead had a metal plate which also had a symbol like a skull of a narglatch with two tusk-like spikes speared out from the sides.

As it turned out, he… was a she. And she was no ordinary assassin.

The feline assassin leaned back at the power generator, wondering on how she was going to explain her failure to her superiors.

She paced about in her mind, asking herself, what was she thinking?

She was so close to ending the life of her target, fulfilling her needs to ascend to a higher purpose. But she let her go and she now wondered why. There was probably a clear reason why she refused to do any harm.

Those Ithorians. They simply got in the way of her execution of the heiress and the only way she could had removed them as witnesses was to simply end their own lives as well. However, deep within her heart, inside that seemingly heartless form, she just couldn't do it. She couldn't bring down an innocent family. It was just not her. Or at least, she felt like so.

However, forgetting about the mother and child, she had to think about her inability to end the life of the Schnee she managed to defeat after much fighting. It was her objective and her desire to finish off the Senator herself. But somehow, within all that arrogance and pride, there was something that the assassin found that was… touching. Something that she had never thought she would found in a Schnee.

A concern for others… Something that the assassin could relate to.

Her trance into doubt was then interrupted by the beeping of her communicator. She took it out and responded to the call, projecting the image of a mysterious figure covered completely in black robes and had his face revealed with nothing more than a white mask with red markings and a pair of horns sticking out.

" _Blake._ " the caller spoke. " _Did you successfully terminate the target?_ " The assassin named Blake Belladona refused to speak to the man with pride, ashamed to even look the man in the eye.

"Negative." She answered in a quiet reluctant voice. Her uneasiness was easily noticed by the man in the hologram, who was also quick to point out her reluctance.

" _You seem hesitant, my dear_." said the red-haired figure. " _Did you regret trying to take out the Senator_?" His questions were asked in an almost inquisitive way that continued to put Blake in her place. Despite his controlling presence, the black-haired Faunus girl relented, refusing to reveal her true feelings.

"No." she objected.

" _Then what is it_?" The figure continued to question her again, but Blake did not give in.

"It's nothing, Adam." she insisted. Finally, Adam seemed to have bought it and just let her be. However, one thing remained clear. Blake had failed to accomplish her mission and Adam was not pleased at all.

" _Well, this is unfortunate._ " he muttered. " _Return to the clan immediately. Viszla will not be pleased._ " Blake sighed at the mention of that name. It would be an unwelcome trip home when she reached back to Mandalore to report on her failure.

"Yeah, okay. Blake, out." After complying with the inevitable, Blake had put off her call with Adam and put her communicator back onto her belt. She then looked back at the parking lot, thinking of what could have been her chance to ascend to the ranks of her clan's honourable warriors, only to lose it because of her inability to make the hard decisions.

Her loyalty to the clan of the White Fang made her the stealthy and merciless assassin she had been trained to be. However, these times were almost heavy on Blake, reminding her of the troubles of her actions that made her somewhat uncomfortable and at worst, actually mortified.

This all brought a brewing question which needed time to be thought over, clouding her mind of her devotion to the cause.

Was being a member of the White Fang really worth it…?

* * *

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

 _ **A/N~**_ **And that is my chapter dedicated to debuting Weiss and the foreshadowing of the next chapter.**

 **Initially, I wanted Weiss to be a Jedi like Ruby, and to form a rivalry with her in a similar fashion to their love-hate relationship in the anime. However, this is a Star Wars fan writing the story, and he is really hoping to expand the galaxy a bit XD I wanted to show the political side of Star Wars and how the RWBY world can integrate itself into it, which is why I decided to open up a slot for a character to represent the political side of the RWBY worlds. And Weiss was the perfect candidate for the job. Thus, she is now a Senator instead of a Jedi. To explain the power of her weapon, which is a Star Wars version of Myrtenaster, I will do so in a future chapter, so stay tuned.**

 **With so much world-building being done, I've decided to plan out a series of chapters dedicated to showing the history of RWBY's worlds into the Star Wars galaxy, like how Rooster Teeth did with the 'World of Remnant' videos. Hopefully, my ideas are agreeable and believable, being able to blend right into the lore.**

 **So, what do you guys think of the story so far? Leave a review, a like or a follow and I'll be grateful for that! Thank you so much and may the Force be with you!**


	3. Black: The Way of the White Fang

**A/N~ Let's get going with the reviews before we get to the story.**

 **HavenofUmbar** **:**

 **I get what you mean. I was also quite worried that having a scythe for Ruby's lightsaber would be a bit questionable. However, after much thought, I've decided that, yes, I want Ruby's saber to feature some small crescent blade cos personally, it suits her well. Adventurous, reckless and deadly. I know, it might out of place, but don't worry, I came up with ways to work around the reason why the scythe is implemented to her blade which shall be explained in a future chapter.**

 **I would love to answer more for your review, but I can't reveal anything yet, so I hope you'll wait till then.**

 **So out of all of that, thanks to HavenofUmbar for the feedback. I hope you'll enjoy the story nevertheless.**

 **RedShirt1453** **:**

 **Thanks for the likes, man! As you'll see here, I'll be fleshing out Blake in this chapter, for her story seemed to fit more of the Mandalorians than the Separatists, so let's see if I can change your mind ;)**

* * *

 **UPDATE (17/6/2019):** **Changed some details regarding the origins of Blake's armour after a change in the story.**

* * *

 **Black: The Way of the White Fang**

The world of Mandalore had seen better days, conflict had left the once-lush planet decimated and almost devoid of life, turning it into a desert world and left its population to take shelter within behind domed cities decorated with cubist artwork and ceremonial dressings to display an ironic beauty in the otherwise war-torn planet.

Mandalore's past had not been a pretty one. For thousands of years, the Mandalorians were once the scourge of the galaxy. Ever since the time of their ancestors, they were bred to fight. It was their birth right. To conquer and assimilate. It was these dangerous beliefs that prompted them to unleash countless 'crusades' throughout the known galaxy, often coming to blows with the Republic and the Jedi over lesser territories.

Then, everything changed when the Mandalorians invaded the Republic full on, culminating in one of the bloodiest conflicts in the galaxy's history. It was a war that went by many names, but all can agree that the war was probably the most devastating of all the conflicts with the warrior race.

However, after much destruction and death, the Republic, with the help of the Jedi, were able to defeat the Mandalorians and liberate the galaxy, leaving Mandalore itself completely destroyed, not just in physical form, but also in pride.

Soon, after realizing the error of their ways, a split majority of Mandalorians soon decide to put their warrior pasts behind to pursue a more peaceful government. But there were many who continued to preserve their birth right as warriors. And the conflicting forces between the two did not get along well.

A civil war broke out between the peace-loving Mandalorians, who called themselves the New Mandalorians, and the aggressive insurgent forces. But with the leadership of a Duchess for the New Mandalorians, the war had ended. The violence committed on both sides had prompted the New Mandalorians to put an end to violence and call upon the people to embrace their new pacifist way of life.

The planet itself would go on to become a neutral system in the upcoming war that would burn the galaxy apart, maintaining its non-violent ideals and carry on to make life better for everyone.

However, it wasn't so easy, as not everyone was so fond of the rule of the New Mandalorians. A certain group of Mandalorians grew to despise the new regime, seeing it as a disgrace to the true nature of the Mandalorian way.

And right alongside them, another group of like-minded people would also stand with them against another power in the galaxy…

* * *

Unknown Location,

Concordia,

Mandalore System,

Another unsatisfying trip back home for Blake Belladonna, flying off in her Gauntlet fighter towards the desolate planet. Although, she would have preferred to call by its true name, a _Kom'rk_ fighter. She was always so fond of literature that it only seemed fair to keep things as they were to its most significant or symbolic.

According to ancient Mandalorian culture, the word _Kom'rk_ meant 'death from the skies'. And that was why she preferred that name over 'Gauntlet'. She was always fascinated with literature and history that she would be willing to maintain the significance of the more symbolic names and references. The only problem was that most of her peers didn't share her fascination for literate details. The peers she grew to know as her brothers and sisters, united under a single cause.

She flew her fighter into the surface and the stormy clouds that covered the area of her destination. An almost temperate moon, which even with all the arid ground, towering and dry rock formations and very little vegetation devoid of any greens, it looked more of a paradise than the larger desert planet it orbited around.

The _Kom'rk_ passed over a mesa of rock towers and abandoned industrial sites left behind by centuries of post-war recovery and continued on towards a flat expansive landmass with a mountain line just over the distance.

The mountain plateau had a large crack right in the middle where a metal platform could be seen deep within the dark opening. Its huge and wide size and with it sticking out of the crack indicated that it would serve as a landing platform for any transport to dock onto.

The complex where the landing platform was connected via a built-in walkway looked rusty and broken with what little light shining being rather dim, not bright enough to light up the dark shadows of the crevice, making the building seem abandoned and unused for some time. Deactivated oil drills and tanks also indicate the building being an industrial complex.

Yet, even with the building's inactive and aged condition, Blake still flew her fighter right into the crevice and began the landing sequence on the platform. Once close enough, she put a slow stop to her engines, pushed down on the brakes and allowed her ship's wing to flip upwards to a stationary position. The fighter neared closer to the platform and opened out its landing gear, approaching the middle of the circle where she finally touched down.

Steam from the cooling system shot right out from the landing gear as the boarding ramp of the fighter dropped down from the rear. Blake walked out of the ship, choosing to keep her helmet on and hoping to conceal her disappointment from her fellow members.

She was welcomed by a group of similarly-dressed comrades at the landing platform as soon as she exited the ship. Four of them wore identical white armour similar to Blake's, but without the jetpack she used. They did wear different helmets, all of them being unique from one another.

The last of the group stood in the middle, clad with black armour and a large cape coming down his back with a red outline. He wore a helmet with two horns etched out and his visor was shaped with the two sides of the 'T' being like a pair of furious eyes. He presented the image of violence and hatred, despite his calm and slow stride.

As Blake came down, she could see the tall dark figure among the group and sighed deeply. She could not bear to speak to the man, simply because she was unsure of how to put her failure. She didn't fear the man, but she knew if she expressed any doubt to her cause, she would be met with unwelcome reception from her peers. She approached the warrior just as he stopped to look at her crossly. Blake opened up her helmet, revealing her face. She rolled her eyes at the sight of the otherwise fearsome man in front of her. As she did so, the warrior also took off his helmet, revealing himself to be the one she had been in contact with on Coruscant.

Adam Taurus.

Blake just looked at him without a word. She may had been humiliated, but the man was a great deal for her. He was something of a mentor figure and, possibly something more. At least, that was what she felt at that point.

"So… you return, my dear." he stated.

"I have." she spoke. The word 'dear' not felt like how it should be, but she took it to heart anyway. "I… failed."

"It matters not." The man said without any disappointment, causing Blake to shift her head up in surprise. "What matters is that we have an important meeting to attend to. We must have our best warriors to attend." Blake cringed her eyes, knowing what was about to come.

"So, we got some new blood?" she asked.

"Tons of them." Adam answered for her. "Come. We must not keep our guests waiting." Blake just nodded, not wanting to speak more of her mission.

"So, who do you think they'll send today to welcome the newcomers?" asked Blake, hoping to change the subject.

"My bet's on Aran. He always comes to initiate these things." Yep, there was always the typical messenger of their higher-ups on Mandalore, who they'd love to poke fun at whenever he received the bulk of threats from the newcomers who would scowl at the sight of a human in their midst. Blake, however, thought it would be someone even more important, given Adam's description of how many new recruits were attending the initiation.

"Who knows? Maybe it'll be someone else. Someone more powerful." suggested Blake. She was getting quite relieved that her conversation was getting elsewhere from her failed mission. They resumed their walk into the main building stuck into the rock walls, its large doors guarded at the sides by two more White Fang members, their arms crossed and watching out for any unwelcomed guests. When Adam and Blake arrived in between them, they bowed to greet them; one of them signalling to another guard at a watch tower to open the entrance leading into the complex.

"Like who? Their leader himself?" Adam retorted, referring to the man who brought them to where they were now. "Please. He has other concerns trying to plan his move on the other clans. Word is, he's going to bring another clan to his cause."

"Clan Wren, I assume?" asked Blake again. "I heard they were gaining some power within the government."

"And he will use that to consolidate his own power." Blake tapped her fingers to her other arm, cringing at Adam's aspiration for the organization. "I sure hope everything will change for us today." Blake nodded, agreeing to her partner's words. But for some reason, she just wasn't sure about it.

The truth was, she wasn't so sure the organization was living up to its goals. Blake was unlike any human in existence. She was in fact, a different kind of one. She was a Faunus. Described as humans with animal-like features, both by physical shape and behaviour, the Faunus had not seen the brightest days in the galaxy.

No one could really explain the existence of the Faunus, as did most other ancient mysteries. They just sort of appeared throughout the galaxy, and once they did, the rest of the galaxy's species began to fear them, as if they were nothing more than dangerous animals. And it was downright frustrating because Blake could not understand why even other aliens feared them when they were different themselves.

And once they found out that the Faunus were just common folk like them, they began to turn their anger on them, punishing them by giving them the harshest forms of treatment only a Hutt could enjoy. Hard labour, slave trades, portrayals of disgust and filth, the Faunus were the laughing stock of the galaxy during those old times.

Then, the Republic came. Laws were enacted to ensure that crimes against the Faunus would be squashed. However, as time passed on and in these times of corruption, separation and conflict, very little had been done to see through these laws.

And that's what made Blake very furious of the Republic, and a certain company in mind. It was easy to see why she agreed to locate and kill Senator Weiss Schnee back on Coruscant. Things could have been avoided, Blake thought, if it weren't for the Senator's father.

Everything the Schnee family had done to her kind, forcing them to continue becoming slaves to do the dirty work and become increasingly ridiculed by the public of Solitas. And because of their importance to the galactic market, even the Republic is unable to restrict their questionable quests for riches and power. For all of these reasons, Blake had every reason to be angry at the Corporation for belittling and destroying the good will the Faunus had. That was why she decided to make a difference…

However, she had always felt very safe that the organization would only target those who would intend on harming her kind, namely the Schnee and other low-lives like smugglers, slavers, and bounty hunters. Even the Hutts were occasional targets at some point. All of these within Mandalorian Space with the organization preying upon anyone unfortunate enough to stumble into their reach.

But even with these specific targets and more, Blake started to notice a rise in attacks upon more targets over the years. The White Fang was beginning to expand its attacks and soon, they started to break out on territories bordering with Mandalorian Space.

What made her more fearful was the fact that the organization had also begun to increase its violence factor upon their victims. First, it used to be silent and quick assassinations or simple sabotages on supply convoys or structures of importance. Now, the killings committed were now more widespread, done with more open strikes and attacks, disregarding public attention.

These actions made Blake very worried. If the White Fang continued to grow to become more radical, then the Republic would be sure to react with force. They had already been labelled as a hostile threat by the Republic and that made the discrimination against the Faunus all the worse. She was unsure of what to make of the rising violence within her organization, questioning its role in helping the Faunus achieve the rights they deserved.

This wasn't looking like a fight for equality, but rather an all-out act of terrorism. She hoped that the organization would slow down its advances, but with their numbers rising, especially in today's case, she knew it was going to take quite a long while for the White Fang to fall back.

She carried on into the building, following her superior with more White Fang members following behind. The messy hallway, filled with pipes along the ceiling and generators deactivated, showed more of the building's dead state for so long. Only now, it's being occupied by more White Fang members all dressed in white battle armour and some wearing their own helmets as well.

Blake saw in front of her a huge crowd of younger individuals who were not wearing any of the battle armour the other members did. Instead, they all wore different clothing; some casual, most others shabby and dirty. Blake could had sworn she saw a few dressed in fancy attires, something out of place in an otherwise shady and abandoned location. Still, the line looked huge; Blake estimating it at around fifty or more. And from the looks of everyone, they all had a certain animal feature each; narglatch tail, kaadu bill, rancor skin; she could name it all. This was indeed a large gathering of Faunus huddled up into the wide open room ahead.

Everyone in the crowd wore a piece of white eyewear that stretched across the face like a blindfold, but had a thin black visor to give them their sight. This was to determine their status as new recruits ready to begin their first day at the White Fang. There was no telling where these freshmen came from, but one thing was certain. When the White Fang started spreading the word of their cause, these were among thousands who joined their ranks.

Everyone, including Blake and Adam followed the crowd into the large meeting hall, which was once a lobby area completely transformed with a stage at the opposite end of the room and White Fang symbols and flags all around.

On top of the stage, a tall White Fang sergeant, identified by the more vibrant markings on his helmet, overlooked the crowd as they were herded in front of them. Blake and Adam moved to one side of the room as did the other official members who took it to all other sides of the room, leaving the gathering of recruits in the middle. The sergeant came forward to deliver a welcoming speech to a glorious fight for glory and freedom.

"Fellow brothers and sisters of the White Fang!" "It is with great honour and dignity that I welcome, today, the one who would promise us true victory and freedom over the pestilence of those who oppose our kind!"

Said guest came from behind the sergeant as he shifted to the side to reveal the figure coming forward. The warrior wore the same armour as the White Fang soldiers, only with a long-sleeved combat sweater underneath the armour. The body was curvy and slim, suggesting a female character in the room.

Once the helmet was taken off, all eyes among the recruits were widened in shock when they found out that the visitor was nothing like them at all. She was a human. A young woman with short combed red hair and kept neat with a silver hairband. She greeted the audience with a silent grin to show them her satisfaction of their attendance.

Unfortunately, the presence of this human was not so welcomed by the new recruits who had been appalled by her appearance, baffled that a human could just enter their premises and smug about it.

"What the-?!" one of the recruits yelled.

"What is a human doing here?!" another added.

"Why are we welcoming her? She is one of them!" Soon, it became a riot as the whole room was blasted with the noisy cries of unhappy White Fang hopefuls; all jeering at the sight of their despised enemy. However, the more experienced White Fang all just stared at them with amusement, knowing that they would all get the picture soon enough.

And they would right now…

 **BWUIM!**

The woman fired up a warning shot to the ceiling with her blaster pistol. The loud booming noise within the echoing room sent a soundwave loud enough to silence the whole crowd, who most reeled back from the shock while others just straight up shut their mouths.

The warrior looked around the frightened crowd for any more signs of protest or even disapproval, in case anyone had anything else to say about her presence.

"Any further objections?" She warned everyone as she scanned for a while to find that everyone was finally forced enough to pay attention. She then withdrew her weapon away into her holster before she began her speech.

"I come in peace. I am not the type of person you think I am because not all 'humans' or any other being in the galaxy hate you." She looked all around, still seeing the doubtful expressions in their faces. "We are more in common than you think. Allow me to introduce myself."

Blake spectated the charm and passion of this warrior as she instilled her might over the audience. Deep inside, she didn't really like where this was going, seeing that this was going to be another session of war-mongering glorification.

"I am Bo-Katan. I am part of the brotherhood of warriors who brought you here to fight for the freedom of your people. If you really don't believe me, then you are free to leave." "Then again, we all know what happens to disgruntled deserters here in the White Fang, do we not?"

After her 'generous' offer, no one seemed to bother defying her word. They were simply letting the fact that even thinking about running away from the place could be their last thought, seep into their fearful minds. They said nothing, which was all Bo-Katan needed to carry on.

"Let me remind that we are here in good faith. We are the liberators who shall help you punish those who sought to use you as slaves. Servants." Before she finished with her sentence, she took a brief second to let the emotion wait for the right moment to be expressed to her spectators.

"Cannon fodder." She finally said with pure disdain. At this point, her words managed to catch the people's attention, sync with their own hatred of a huge majority of other galactic beings who made them trash. "Which is why we welcome you today. In open arms. To this circle of brethren who shall exact our revenge against your oppressors and give you what even the Republic couldn't."

Soon, her rousing speech began to pick up momentum. The young and advocate followers, one by one, were now slowly understanding this human, who actually understood their plight and their hatred for the many species in the galaxy for putting them in such a light.

"They were supposed to bring an end to your unfortunate sufferings, but they had failed. For far too long, you had continued to go through torment after torment, living a life of unforgiving negligence and ungrateful brutality."

And now, the crowd was roaring with anger and frustration, hate for the Republic and all of non-Faunus kind fuelling their cries as they cheered on for this human to press on to what they would do to get back at the galaxy.

"I assure you that my brotherhood stands with you. We have our goals aligned. Once we end the Republic and take what is rightfully ours, we shall provide you with the glory you so deserve!"

Everyone's cheers became louder and louder, bellowing their war cries as they applauded for Bo-Katan's power over them. All except Blake. This is what she feared the most. Now, the White Fang was now going from bad to worse. The attacks would now be more violent, the threat imposed becoming larger. It seemed now that nothing could stop them from reaching out to commit more of the atrocities she dreaded to even think about.

She could only look to the one partner and mentor she held in high regard. Surely, even with his own reason to distrust the galaxy, he must have had some kind of empathy for the falling image of the White Fang, she hoped. Adam had the power and will over the organization. He would have to stop this, or all of Faunus kind would forever be tarnished.

"You may not like it now, but soon enough, you will learn to understand that you are not just part of the White Fang. You are part of something greater. Something that shall bring us to the heights of true power!"

And with the loudest cheers the crowd could give, Bo-Katan put on her helmet. Then, behind her, four more of her fellow brothers joined in, taking their places at her side to show the whole room where their place stood and their goals fully assured. Blake huffed out in despair, knowing that this would be the moment she hoped would never come.

"Welcome… to Death Watch! And we are going to finally have our way against our enemies!"

* * *

Blake was now standing at a catwalk, alone. She leaned her arms over the catwalk, watching the commotion that was going on below. She silently observed from above the hurrying and messy assembly of the recruits as they were herded into a few large transports to be delivered to the main base where they would be trained by some of Death Watch's fiercest trainers.

Blake grew very unsure about what the future beheld for these young individuals. She wasn't even sure if many of them would even survive the harsh training and even more so, the acts of violence they would commit against their enemies.

Was this really what the White Fang hoped to achieve? To spread terror to the Republic and provoke more discrimination to the Faunus? If you asked her, Blake thought that the organization would prove to be no better than the forces against her kind. It was bad enough that Mandalore was attempting to hunt them down, but now it seemed the Republic could end up being a bigger problem.

She had to find a way to convince them to cease their aggressive ways and go back to the way it was, where Faunus were fighting for actual equality than delusional dominance.

She heard the faint footsteps coming from behind her. She turned around and saw Adam approaching her. She always knew that Adam, being an assassin and all, had to walk silently at any costs. Thanks to her heightened sense of hearing though, she could already tell his exact position. A trait most Faunus like her had grown to value in battle.

"You seemed troubled, my dear." Adam calmly told her, noticing the worried look on her face. However, even with the kind gesture, Blake refused to utter a word. Adam moved to hold her chin gently, coaxing the girl to feel heartened by his caring touch. "What's bothering you?"

Even then, there was nothing she could say to him. There was just too much in her mind to speak out to him. She worried that if she told him of what she was concerned about, and what she wanted him to do, he might feel threatened of her opposition. How would he take it? Would he be furious? She hated the thought of upsetting him to the point of betrayal.

"Come on. You can tell me." His voice was just too tempting for her. She knew Adam was an understanding man, despite his deadly abilities. He was the one who took her in when her own family hadn't. She was always grateful to Adam for helping her and she would be loyal to him during her missions. And in return, he would respect her for being a devoted partner.

Perhaps she could trust him to listen to her. Maybe he would trust her to be honest.

"I'm not sure if this is what we were supposed to be doing." She finally confided. "Sure, attack slave traders and corrupt officials at our own borders. But attacking the Republic?" She then fell silent, unsure if she should continue. Taking in more courage, she finished her sentence. "Adam, I'm just worried for what we really stand for now. Everyone would think of us as lower than we are now."

Adam looked away from Blake. The feline assassin was now sure that she had struck a nerve at this point. She lowered her head in shame, hoping that she had not offended her partner too much.

"Blake." Then, Adam muttered to her. Blake squinted her eyes as if she was ready for a full-on scolding from the White Fang leader. Instead, the warrior came to her with full understanding. "I know you feel pressured about all of this, but if we let our enemies continue to harass our kind, things will only get worse for us." He then stretched his arms to grab her shoulders to help her listen further. "If the Republic can't help us, then we have to take actions to ourselves."

"So, you're not going to do anything to stop our aggression?" she asked.

"I'll do what I can to make sure we don't go too far, but I'm not promising anything." answered Adam reluctantly.

It was not the answer Blake wanted to hear, but at least it was something she could try to comprehend. Maybe the White Fang wouldn't change so quickly, but she could take comfort in knowing that they would find a way to slowly go back to the way it was supposed to be. No more killing. No more sabotage. It was going to be the old peaceful approach through negotiations and protests to give the Faunus a voice rather than a crosshair to the head.

With Blake barely content, Adam finally left the area to continue with his business, leaving his partner behind to ponder on. Before he could leave, he turned around to give Blake one more set of words.

"I assure you, Blake. We will have our cause fulfilled. The Faunus shall no longer be threatened nor ruled over. We shall have our place in the galaxy." Finally, Adam had finally decided to move on, disappearing from Blake's sight and earshot.

The White Fang huntress stood on, going back to watching the young newbies being loaded to the last transport to the headquarters of Death Watch. Even with the belief that Adam could help lower the damage done to their enemies, Blake had to wonder if it would be enough to keep the White Fang on a safe level of danger from the Republic or any major organization.

* * *

 _DAYS LATER_

Blake remained on their hideout in Concordia after some time mainly to scout the area for any trespassers or spies who could be locking into their position. So far for the past few months, there hadn't been any intruders for miles around. Concordia's abandoned mines were good as done for all the galaxy knew.

After her recent patrol, she just resorted to staying back at base to polish up her weapons and then, as always, take out a good book or two to indulge herself in. The ones she read definitely inspired her.

 _Vode An_ and _Love and Rakghouls: Curse of the Murr Talisman_.

But right now, she was just strolling around the landing pad, just outside the Starfighter she had just used to hunt down the Senator of Solitas. Her arms crossed and right fingers tapping on her left shoulder, she let time pass while waiting for news of Adam's return from yet another raid. She sincerely hoped that Adam had agreed to soften his assaults in Mandalorian Space to avoid Republic involvement.

Though, she wouldn't mind him plucking a few hairs or more out of a member of the Schnee Mining Corporation. No one could blame Blake for hating the Schnees. After all, if there was anyone who would take great satisfaction from ruining the lives of the Faunus, the Schnee family was definitely the worst.

Ever since the company's founding almost after the Mandalorian defeat at the hands of the Jedi, the Schnees had seized the opportunity to take in her ancestors as slaves to carry out their mining operations. The treatment was beyond excruciating and painful that even the most devoted Faunus slave was nothing but a piece of trash. It was that very cruelty that sparked Faunus aggression to perform acts of revolt and resistance. There was even a small skirmish between Solitas and Faunus workers in a small moon where the company was mining some rare minerals from. The workers won and the Republic began to intervene, but the influence of the mining company seemed too powerful to give the conflict any significant impact.

Needless to say, no one was being much a help. That all changed when the White Fang came. For once, Blake began to feel that the formation of a Faunus rights movement would be the very thing the Faunus could have to make their voices heard, restoring hope for her kind across the galaxy. Unfortunately, even the promise of political influence was being downplayed by the growing crisis involving systems leaving the Republic and the eventual declaration of war by the Senate.

With no other option, the White Fang began to become even more desperate for breaking out of their discrimination and started to result to more violent and destructive methods to realize their goals. However, Blake wasn't so convinced. Even as a child, she had become involved in the White Fang's plans for Faunus rights. But soon, she became inspired by one such individual who began to have much power over the organization.

Adam was indeed a powerful warrior, so it seemed natural that he was chosen to lead the White Fang. Blake simply grew to love his charm and charisma over the masses, and was even more grateful for guiding her through the path of the Fang.

Time went by, though, and Blake was not liking the direction the organization was taking. She really wanted Adam to make a difference and help the White Fang become more aligned to what it once was. She tolerated the attacks on their enemies within Mandalorian Space, so she didn't need anything else beyond that.

Unfortunately, Death Watch came. A group of exiled Mandalorians who wished to seek revenge against the current rulers of their home planet who they viewed as a disgrace to their warrior culture. In some way, both the White Fang and Death Watch had goals aligned. Death Watch wanted to dispose of Mandalore's government and restore their past, while the White Fang considered Mandalore as one of its hostile locations after many cases of prejudicial crimes were committed there.

After many years, it was the perfect chance for both parties to ally with one another. And Blake's fears grew from that point on. But she was glad that the White Fang had some goals that helped it differentiate itself from the Mandalorian warriors, and she preferred to keep it that way. Once Mandalore would be taken by Death Watch, the White Fang would proceed to get the equal rights they would need. That was all she could ask for.

So, while Adam was out on his mission, Blake could do nothing but wait. She would probably try to call a friend of hers who was stationed on another secret base in Concord Dawn. Alas, she just stood idly, waiting for something to happen that would require her attention. She even thought about talking to Adam about what she could for him in the future.

Perhaps… maybe… Confess?

Her thoughts were snapped out as she then heard the whirring sounds in the air. She looked to see that Adam's transport had returned from their mission. The large transport landed down on another landing platform on the opposite side of Blake's ship's own.

She walked over the platform to witness the departure of her partner and more of her fellow members from the ship. Then, she noticed some extra guests behind her comrades.

Behind Adam in two straight lines, there were men dressed in armour and also wearing metal helmets, but with square goggles. They all had their hands tied behind their backs, hunched down with their heads facing the ground. Blake recognized the plain grey colourings and the design of their armours. They were soldiers of Mandalore. The Mandalore the White Fang had been trained to fight. The Mandalore that became a prime obstacle in their activities ever since Death Watch allied themselves with the organization.

This was something Blake had never seen before. Usually, if Adam would take prisoners, he'd sent them to Concord Dawn or any other White Fang base in the system. Bringing them here in their main and most important base was something uncommon.

Blake felt like ignoring the roundup of the prisoners. Usually, prisoners would be used as ransom to be traded for useful goods that might help the White Fang earn some credits to fund their campaigns. Mandalorian officials seemed to be the favourite as prisoner exchanges often proved quite fruitful.

However, the cat in her couldn't help but feel tempted to find out what was going on. She would like to know what the price would be this time and get a good look at how the negotiations would go by.

More importantly, though was the urge to ask Adam whether how he had carried out this mission and captured the prisoners, as well as the aftermath of their strike. So after wasting almost half an hour of waiting, she decided to take a trip down to meet Adam and see where this event was heading.

She got off from the landing platform and walked into the building to meet up with Adam and watch the deals being made.

Blake through the complex towards the landing platform where the prisoners were being loaded off into the base, finding the room where they had gone from the platform itself. Throughout the rusty and dusty mining building, she could hear some silent grunts coming from a room of the base near the transport's landing platform.

Once she reached the room where Adam was inspecting his catches of the day, Blake couldn't help but peek over the wall and watch on from behind. She saw Adam, walking around the line of prisoners now forced to kneel with their hands still tied to their backs. As he stepped around, he was constantly fixing his head onto every single one of their faces. Blake could see them riddled with fear as they couldn't look up at him. Behind the prisoners, there were a few White Fang members standing guard facing the prisoners' backs. Blake knew this was one of Adam's policies where he would give the prisoners a very intimidating reminder of escape or any other intention of retaliation.

Despite the hostile standoff, Blake had nothing to worry about. She knew deep down that he wouldn't straight up kill them. Even if the White Fang were allied to Death Watch, who had made the current Mandalorian government an enemy, the White Fang were not above murderous towards potential prisoners, only resulting to killing when they attempted to strike first. So, Blake continued to hide there, not wanting to disturb Adam, while at the same time, looking on.

"You dared to trespass into White Fang territory." Adam spoke fiercely to the hostages with a voice that sent shivers down their spines. "And then, what did you do next? You killed more of our brethren. How many more Faunus lives must we lose to make you listen?!"

Blake furrowed her brows in anger when Adam yelled about the lives lost in his previous encounter with these Mandalorian soldiers. None of them had the courage to even whimper. Adam's terrifying gaze kept them silent and horrified of a swift death. However, one of them did have the guts to speak up to his captor with loyalty for his ruler.

"You were the ones intruding in Mandalorian Space." he defied with no fear. "This entire system is under the protection of her Royal Highness, Duchess Satine of Mandalore. We have been given orders to engage the White Fang with force."

That defiance was only met with a hard smack to the back of his head by one of the White Fang members who angrily bashed the soldier with the butt of his rifle.

"You dare mock our order?!" he screamed at the hit soldier, frightening the other soldiers. He was about to do some more damage to him, but he was stopped by the cold hand of Adam Taurus prompting him to stop.

"That's enough, men." he calmly ordered his underling. Finally, once the attention was back at him, Adam bent down to the same soldier and stared at him. "I will show you what happens to our enemies now."

Blake could definitely hear what Adam said. She was expecting Adam to be given a nice lesson of pain and torture that usually involved a slash of the sword to his face. Nothing lethal, but it would put the victim in such agony that he would learn to be silenced.

So, Adam pulled out his vibrosword from his holster and proceeded to aim for the soldier. Just one slash at the mouth would silence the arrogant soldier for good.

 **SHINK!**

Adam slashed the prisoner… at the neck.

Blake gasped, witnessing the shock of her entire life. Blood was slowly coming out of the cut as the body then slumped forward as a lifeless husk. Adam just standing there, feeling no remorse for his action. With the nod of his head, the rest of the White Fang members too complied. They raised their rifles, aimed them at the rest of the prisoners…

And fired…

All prisoners were now dead. Executed in cold blood.

Blake could not believe what had happened. Sheer fear and betrayal fuelled inside, wishing that all she was seeing was nothing more than a dream or hallucination. No matter how much she wanted to snap out of it, she was still going back to the same scene. It was all too real.

The White Fang had gone down the road to ruin from the moment they began to become a more dangerous threat, and now she was seeing the full extent of the terror they were willing to spread. They had killed without even showing mercy towards their captives. It was the final piece of the puzzle of knowing what the White Fang's true intentions were.

Adam even showed no pity for the fallen bodies of the executed, putting away his sword and looking at his guards to clean up the mess.

"Get rid of this trash." Blake shivered tensely upon hearing the coldness in his voice. No, not the tone that brought humour and suave. This one came as pure sinister-like, evil and coarse, filled with hatred. It was like nothing Blake had ever felt before in him. She didn't know what to do with him now that she had seen his true colours.

She was so blur and numb inside that she did not realize that she could be well seen at the entrance by none other than the cold-blooded killer who had just revealed himself to her.

"Blake?" Adam was just in front of Blake while she was being traumatized by that sudden act of murder he and her fellow members had done. When she did hear his voice, she stared at him with disbelief. He was coming at her with the same friendly stride looking to comfort her from whatever was bothering her. Unfortunately, there was no fooling Blake, for she was now looking at the face of a killer.

"Adam…" Blake stuttered, riddled with fear. The feeling almost stunned her again, forcing her to not speak to him. Adam's worried expression in turn became even chillier, knowing what Blake was going through. He didn't like the look on her face, wanting to make sure she knows her place, as opposed to his apparent kindness prior to the current events.

"Why, Adam?" Finally, Blake had broken out of her frozen state. What took over was just as unlikely as her frightened feelings. Something boiling within that pushed her to the breaking point. She was so betrayed, so riled up. She wanted to let it all out in a fit of fiery emotions, almost even wanting to lash out and vent out her frustration and confusion at Adam.

Rage… Rage was all that she had inside of her.

"Why did you kill them?!" Her shrill yell echoed through the complex, surely to catch the attention of everyone inside. Even Adam was shocked by the sudden outburst of anger on him. However, he was prepared for the moment she would see him for who he really was and he was about to teach her a thing or two about his true mission. To see that Faunus-kind would see the day where they would get their revenge on the galaxy. He shook his head with a firm belief that what he was doing was the rightful path he would take.

"It was the only way." he coldly said to her, fully cementing his dark image to her. The feline assassin grew even more hurt. She couldn't believe her eyes and now she had to hear for herself the cruelty of Adam's terror.

"What?" She was now beyond bewildered, realizing that this was no longer the Adam she knew. The Adam she actually… loved. The man she admired all this time was now a man she learned to fear. "But Adam…" When she tried to reason with him, she was only caught off by a loud yell from Adam, angered by her reluctant stand against him.

"The only way for us to achieve our rightful place is to become one with Death Watch!" Adam's powerful shout made Blake even more scared. All the anger was blown at her like a violent hurricane pressing inside her body.

"But… you said we…" She tried to remain strong and she went with another powerful argument back at Adam. "But what about the Faunus? What would they be now that you've decided to commit terrorism on the Republic?! You are making us nothing more than violent barbarians!" Even as Blake yelled back, Adam was ready to give her the most straightforward and angriest response to her undermining of his cause.

"You really think trying to fight for some rights is going to solve our plight? Do you expect our voices alone to be enough to convince the galaxy of our right to be here? That only through peace can there be victory?!" He turned around, remembering the one time the White Fang attempted to talk their way to settle matters. "The last time we tried, it ended up letting that damn Schnee company destroy an entire colony on Gargon! So, think about it now, Blake! Whenever we do try, someone always gets back at us. Ten-fold!"

The more rage Adam expressed, the more intimidated Blake was. At this point, she was starting to see the Adam she loved fade away, consumed by a new form of evil who had no mercy in his heart. She was listening to a demon out to destroy and maim the galaxy. Adam had become a monster in her eyes.

"We have to step in or we will remain the scum of the galaxy for good. We must show the galaxy what happens when they toy with us. We will destroy all who oppose us, and let our name be known as the very last thing they see before we get our revenge!"

After his last sentence, silence filled the room. Blake was unable to even utter a word. She had heard it all come out of Adam, but she couldn't find the words to show how much she felt about him now. She hoped that she would never had to see this, but the White Fang was about to desecrate the name of the Faunus for the worse.

Still frightened by Adam's rage and the fate of the White Fang and all for Faunus kind, Blake didn't try to say anything. She wanted to run, get out of this mess of things and never return to leave behind the betrayal and sins that her own comrades were about to commit. Unfortunately, when she was about to make the run for it, Adam realized her steps, watching her creeping backwards while still facing him. He saw this as a sign of cowardice and ultimate betrayal. A White Fang member running away from the cause was considered unacceptable in his eyes.

"Blake." he called out to her, trying to stop her from making a foolish mistake. "Don't you run away." His cries became even more sadistic, demanding Blake to remain in place, or she would suffer the consequences. "Don't tell me you're thinking about running away!"

Blake didn't even want to know what Adam would do to her if she continued to become disobedient. Adam's commanding cry was still petrifying to her. Part of her refused to object him, but at the most part, she was very much afraid of him, desiring to rid herself of him. She spun around to look away from his enraged look and flee from his sight. However, if she did anything, she had the idea that Adam would stop her by any means. Whatever he would do, she didn't want to go through with the punishment.

It came down to a choice. It was either run… Or fight…

"I'm sorry, Adam." After hesitating for a brief second, she made her choice. "But this is not me." She bent down, as if looking to run away, but instead of running away, she did just the opposite. She ran… Forward; towards Adam. "NEVER!"

She leapt forward with her blade drawn and heading straight for her former mentor and love interest. Adam was bewildered by the surprise attack and quickly drew his own long red sword to defend himself. Within a split second, he managed to stop the black sword from slicing him. The two were now locked in a flustering clash, each side pushing against the other.

Adam stared at Blake's face as he blocked her attempt. He could see the anger now in full force. Her irises were thinned like a beast lusting for food. Her teeth were gritted and he could make out the jaws pushing against each other, showing even more of her ferocity. The strength she was forcing on him was almost too much for him to bear. Her aggravation was beyond anything he had ever felt in her, even a Schnee wouldn't compel her to lash out.

But Adam didn't falter. Rather, he enjoyed Blake's flustered rage, energized by her anger and her will to fight. She was truly embracing the spirit of a White Fang member for she was going to go all out and defeat him. Blake had to defeat Adam if she wanted to find a way to restore order and bring the White Fang back to what it originally fought for. If this was what she wanted, then Adam would let her have her chance, but he believed it would end with her ultimate punishment.

Blake poured in all her strength before pushing herself away from the lock between blades, flipping backwards and landing gracefully while Adam spun back once before facing his now ex-partner in a duel to decide whose cause was going to prevail. The rest of the White Fang members present just stood there, choosing not to interfere in a power struggle between two of their most prominent leaders, though some of them secretly wished Adam would win due to their shared ideals.

Blake ran first, dashing at Adam with her blade aiming right for him. She immediately swung her blade once in range, which the leader easily blocked the attack. Blake followed up with another swing to the other side and Adam also parried the strike with an easy swing of his own. She did another slash, batting it from the right in a heavy swing. This time, it was a little more successful than her previous attacks, being strong enough to knock Adam off balance as he moved his sword to defend. He spun back weakly from the force of the blow with his back against her.

Blake saw her chance while Adam's defence was broken. She drew hew blaster out and fired at him, letting loose a trio of energy bolts in a line. Within a split second however, Adam saw the blaster fire heading for him. For the first two shots, he shifted here and there, dodging the shots with extreme speed. The third shot he saw, he was able to regain balance and used his sword to reflect the shot.

Blake cursed mentally inside, her opportunity wasted by Adam's sudden agility. The man took his turn and raised his arm straight towards her, revealing a steel gauntlet with a small cannon attached. He fired a couple of little metal shuriken stars, spinning for her head and threatening to bore through her flesh. She ducked down fast enough to avoid being struck by the fast stars only to have strands of her hair sliced off by the incoming projectiles. Blake then wasted no more time and fired her blaster with more anger in her grip. Adam blocked more shots and flipped to the side to gain a new angle on her. Once Blake finished shooting, he immediately raced for her and swung his weapon.

They engaged in another brewing sword fight, though it was Adam who had more of the offensive. He kept up the attacks, lashing out on Blake strike after strike, forcing Blake back step by step while she defended herself. Blake had a harder time blocking his attacks, with the warrior's sword slashes being just as fast as hers, but were even heavier. After two or more strikes, she had to move away after being thrown off by his stronger slashes. After a few slashes, Adam delivered a hard kick to her stomach, causing her to flip away from the clash of blades.

Knowing she won't do much good on the ground, Blake activated her jetpack and hovered over the room in a loud burst. Adam looked over him, waiting for Blake to make the next move on him from above. Blake shifted her body to the right, strafing sideways while aiming her blaster at Adam. She fired her weapon at his head, anticipating a height advantage would secure a good shot at him. Alas, even while flying, Adam showed that he didn't need a jetpack of his own, deflecting each shot effortlessly.

Blake groaned at the apparent failure of her fly-by attacks. The jetpack was a gift from Death Watch she didn't hesitate to accept because it would serve as a great advantage over most of her foes. Due of the loud booming sounds of the rocket boosters ruining her stealthy approaches, she would only use it for open conflicts such as this, where she would come out on top over anyone she fought. This time, however, her opponent was still proficient in his defence like a Jedi wielding a lightsaber.

She then stopped firing her weapon after failing to do any damage, pushing herself all the way towards Adam and swung her blade with a heavy swing at him from the air. The force of her strike would be enough to knock him off his feet or brush away his sword from his grip. With one full burst of speed, she crashed her sword onto his own. Adam felt the blasting force acting upon him, dragging him back as he pushed himself to the limit as well. In the end, it was yet another equal clash of forces. The next second, Blake pushed upwards and front flipped over Adam to try and strike him from behind. Once again, Adam spun around and blocked her attack before doing another round of sword strikes against her.

For the next few minutes, they glided around the room with swords swinging at each other like a dance of death with the climax ending in someone's brutal execution. They slashed and clashed on and on, both putting up an equal amount of skill, grace and precision with both attack and defence.

Then, everything came to a head when Adam decided to break her off. After separating himself from her attacks, he grabbed his wrist gauntlet and once again aimed it at Blake. While Blake was expecting another few shuriken from the launcher, she was suddenly cut off as a burst of flames was fired out instead. A deadly flamethrower towards her face forced her to bend her body down and avoid the stream of fire, letting the heat sear her back. Blake had her head down when she ducked down, unable to see Adam prepare for his eventual strike on Blake. When she rose, it was too late to respond… Adam used his blaster and shot her at the chest, sending her thrown to the ground.

The blast mark she sustained was only able to burn her, having protected by the _beskar_ -clad armour covering her body, but Adam's blaster was always known to be very powerful, enough to break through most metals. With enough firepower to at least burn through Blake's armour, it was still enough to injure her. She held the wound, pressing her hand roughly on it to relieve the stinging pain. As she was doing that, Adam was already running towards her with his sword ready to slice through her. She hurriedly thrust her sword to her front in a desperate attempt to shield herself. The sword hit her blade, but with her injury weakening her, she had to use her left hand to hold up her weapon. While she had to use both hands to push against Adam's blade, the injury on her chest was still hurting her as the itching need to massage the pain was making her left hand twitch, wanting to hold the chest wound.

Adam gave one cold smirk before he used his right leg to swipe off the sword of her hand while she was distracted by her wound. Then, to add up to her injury, he gave one swift kick to the chest. She felt the pain pierce through her as Adam's foot thrust her off her balance, with Blake then falling on her back on the floor.

As she laid on the floor, Blake was now even more hurt by the kick. Her whole body was now encumbered by the pain spread out after the hit to the wound. All she could do was strain her muscles to reduce the pain and squirm about while she was still grounded on the floor. Adam scoffed at the pitiful sight of the fallen assassin while the rest of the White Fang members watched on in disappointment, mentally ridiculing Blake for her wasted attempt at usurping Adam's leadership. Without wasting time, Adam walked over to Blake with his sword pointing at her. Now, it was time to finish her off. It was now customary tradition to execute his defeated enemy, following the code of the White Fang. Blake was a threat to him and he wouldn't mind getting rid of her if it meant keeping his power in check.

Blake could faintly see the blade directed at her face, too hurt to do anything to stop him. Adam was loyal to his culture and he would see to it that all traditions are followed, including the honorary death of a defeated champion in battle. Some part of her knew that this was to be the end. She would have to die honourably and let the chips fall as they may without her. The fate of the Faunus had been sealed. She closed her eyes, seemingly accepting her fate at the hands of the man she once loved.

Adam moved for the kill and swung his sword down to kill the fallen warrior. He felt no remorse as he was about to execute his most loyal follower. But other than the necessity to follow the code, he felt that removing her would only be the start of a proper rise to power against the galaxy. He wouldn't care less about what happened to her, or anyone at the matter. As long as the White Fang rose to prominence, he was content with his victory.

His blade was only inches away from cutting into her body. However, as soon as he was about to finally end it, he felt the sword slam onto the hard metal surface that was the floor. He was stunned to find that he had missed his opponent, who had suddenly rolled out of the way and saved herself from a quick death.

Once she was safe from her brush with death, she took out the blaster still within her holster and fired her weapon on Adam's leg. The shot hit the exposed leg of the warrior, causing him to throw his weapon up in the air and drop down on the ground in pain to grasp the wound. While still hurting, he looked up to see that Blake was now standing right above him, both of the swords now crossed at his neck. He found himself in between two killer blades almost inches to his exposed skin. It all looked to be over so suddenly. He had not anticipated such a twist in the duel and he was now forced to accept his fall at the hands of a disgraced warrior. There was only one way he could keep his reputation at this moment.

Forgetting the pain on his foot, he knelt down in a defeated position, hands on his knees as he had his head down. Blake just stared at the crushed warrior, intent on ending the fight once and for all.

"Go ahead, my dear." called Adam. "Do it." Blake looked at the sorry sight once more and moved her swords to finish him off once and for all, take the chance of guiding the White Fang in a new direction for the better. But when she looked at Adam down on the ground, she wondered to herself if this was what had to be done.

Was this the way to gain power and help influence her comrades to take the right path? To kill off Adam and follow the code he had placed so prominently in the organization? Wouldn't that make her a hypocrite? Or was it… Something else? Was she still reluctant to kill him because of her own feelings? She wished that he would have some sense in him, and she didn't want to end him if he ever did have some good in him?

So, it was decided. She was going to forget about going on the path of the White Fang. She was not going to be the same monster Adam had become. Thus, refusing to kill, she tossed his sword away and let the battle end in his humiliating defeat, so that he may live to regret his actions and change the way she wanted.

She turned around and walked away with a heavy heart. She hated to leave him at this state, but it was for the best and she hoped that things would get better for the organization without her. She would have to forge a new path. It was too late for her to change things, and now, she wanted to do nothing with their downfall. Perhaps, maybe fighting for Faunus kind was not the path she was meant for.

If that was the case, then what good was she to the galaxy? She had left behind the one family she knew and ended up with a band of terrorists seeking revenge and violence against the Republic, doing all the things she secretly dreaded, despite doing so on her enemies. Just what could she even do to make things better?

Nothing. That was all she could think of. She was no longer one with the White Fang. She was just Blake.

After throwing away Adam's sword and her loyalty to the horrid cause she committed herself into, she began to walk away, not looking back. A lone tear was seen, slowly coming down as she repented all that she had done. She lost her real family, and now, she had lost the comrades who took her in.

She heard silent footsteps behind her, suggesting that Adam had finally rose back up after Blake sparred his life. Adam looked on in disbelief, watching his former partner walk away without honouring the code of the White Fang. He could not stand for the disgrace she was presenting, and he could not bear to let the shameful defeat at the hands of this sorry excuse of a warrior go to pass. He looked to his men, who were also shocked to see their leader befallen by Blake. He gave them one order… One to deal with traitors like Blake.

"Blast her!"

Blake was flabbergasted to hear Adam give out the order. She was sure that Adam would just let her go after such a powerful loss. Yet, there seemed to be no heart for defeat for the man. He was still going to follow what he believed was the righteous path, in which he saw the loss as nothing more than a sham; unfit for a true warrior of the White Fang. She was a traitor who knew no honour in her fights and she was going to end up the same way as all other traitors. Dead and thrown away like thrash.

The soldiers all complied while they still had loyalty with Adam, fearing for their lives if they were to object to his word or even delay his command. Immediately, blasters were aimed towards the woman they would have thought was the most loyal to their leader. Blake could not believe what she was seeing, but she knew she had to run.

The soldiers all made their move and fired their weapons at Blake, shooting out yellow bolts of lasers for her. The ex-White Fang member rolled out of the way before they could hit her, letting them all hit the wall behind her. They continued to fire away, making Blake jump, roll and dodge all over the place. Adam soon joined in and fired his own weapon at her, adding the difficulty for her.

Blake had to find a way to escape the place before she would run out of energy and eventually lose the fight to live. She couldn't run off to the corridors for she knew Adam would alert the rest of the base and inform them of her betrayal. So, she looked around for the fastest way out. She found her exit in the form of an overhead window on the domed ceiling. That was her only ticket out of hell.

She locked on to the window and fired up her jetpack, using all of her strength and luck to attempt the escape. Once she boosted up in the air, the blaster fire still went for her from all directions. She kept on flying towards her window of opportunity, just flying straight towards the hole praying that she would make it out from the danger soon enough. Halfway through the crossfire, she shot with her own weapon at the glass window, shattering it to bits and leaving the exit completely open for her.

Soon, with all her power, she gave it one last boost and sped her way to the window. Finally, after going through the blaster fire, she managed to zoom right into the hole and out into the air; to freedom.

The people in the room had ceased fire; Adam groaning at the successful breach through the window by Blake. With the traitor on the run, he quickly ordered his men to follow him outside to pursue the fleeing coward. He refused to alert the entire base, only caring about punishing Blake for her treachery.

Adam, followed by three more White Fang soldiers, ran all the way out to the landing platform where they could find the traitor flying in the sky. They reached for the railing and scanned the area from where Blake may had come out from. Then, they saw a faint black dot in the sky with a flaring light on it. After a closer look, Adam could easily identify the object as none other than the treacherous assassin fleeing the base.

He didn't lose much time to react and gave a silent nod to one of his men. The soldier had a sniper rifle at the ready as he zoomed in with his scope. He set his sights on Blake, aiming at her jetpack. Without any regrets, he then pulled the trigger and shot out a high-velocity bolt that headed straight for the flying Blake.

Blake thought she was already out of reach and would successfully escape the premises without any difficulty. That was until she felt a violent tremor to her body followed by an ear-shaking blast behind her. The next thing she knew it; she was starting to feel her flight path being shaken up badly. She heard the malfunctioning sounds of an engine going haywire and looked behind to find that her jetpack had been hit hard by a lone energy shot. Her jetpack soon grew a flaming trail behind her as she was now flying dizzily and out of control. She couldn't keep her course in a straight line and was becoming even more uncontrollable.

There was nothing she could do but fly with a completely damaged jetpack as it then sent her plummeting to the ground. Blake was riddled with panic and desperation, trying to force a crash landing without killing her. She then set her sights on a forest with trees of no leaves. She free-fell all the way, uncertain whether she was going to survive her fall. Her body was now tumbling down to a deathly height and just kept going, leaving her to a fate impossible to avoid.

From the platform, Adam watched as the body of his former partner dived right down towards the dead forest on the surface. Then, after a few more seconds, the smoking body soon entered the forest and disappeared from his sights. He waited a little more before, finally, all he could see and hear was a faint explosion.

And just like that, Blake was gone. Gone from his organization. Gone from his life.

He let out a sigh of pity towards the fallen traitor. For certain, he thought she was a goner. With a sharp fall and an exploding jetpack, there was no way she could have survived any of those. However, some of his men had to be sure.

"Find her!" ordered the sniper who shot her down. Then, they were cut off as Adam raised his hand up to stop them.

"Forget it." he assured them. "No one could have survived that fall." He looked back at the forest, where now, a cloud of smoke drifted into the air, further proving his point that Blake was now a dead woman, no more to threaten his place.

He decided to let bygones be bygones, leaving the body to further rot in an unforgiving environment where only scavengers would come and greet her dead body and feast on her remains. She was to be nothing more than a memory best forgotten. He pulled out his sword, the one fortunately not soaked in his own blood, and pointed it at his soldiers, giving them a stern warning about the events of this day.

"Let this be a lesson to all who dare defy the White Fang." growled Adam. "No one betrays our way. And they will suffer the consequences dearly if they ever betray us." Everyone kept quiet, falling nervous from the sight of a brutal Adam Taurus as he solidifies his leadership in the White Fang.

From this moment on, they would continue on to join Death Watch in their campaign against all who dared ridiculed them. It was time to set the stage for an operation that shall see the glory of the Faunus and the end of a hated galaxy. of misfits and demons. The White Fang will prevail and they would show the galaxy that they were destined to rule over all, alongside their allies of Death Watch.

* * *

In the forest below, nothing was heard after the explosion. Only the high-pitched, terrifying sounds of a flock of shriek-hawks circling over the remains of a charred out body. They took their time and descended one-by-one to scavenge on what was left of the unfortunate soul.

As they landed, they found the smoking remains of their prey. They closed in to finish it off and go about their day. As they crept forward to begin the feast, they eyed upon where they would land their first bite. The neck, the stomach, the limbs. Anywhere they would find edible, which meant almost every part of her body. They came to their quarry and poked their heads down…

…to find nothing.

There was only the empty burnt out shell of Mandalorian armour left. The completely broken jetpack, now decimated further by the explosion and some bits of cloth possibly torn from her clothing. The scavengers didn't find anything worth eating and cawed in defeat at the sight of a worthless pile of junk.

Meanwhile, as the hawks cried out their failed hunt, a trail of footprints was seen, heading for the bushes. From out of the vegetation, the person making those prints had presented herself. Blake had survived the crash, coming out battered and hurt, but still very much alive.

The trees above her had shielded her from a fatal fall and removed her jetpack just in the nick of time. However, she was now faced with more than just the chest wound she had suffered from the duel before. She had bruises from the fall, the bare branches of the trees ripping at her soft clothing, leaving her shoulders exposed to the heat of Concordia. She had abandoned the armour that had practically been her own ever since she was brought into the brotherhood she called home.

Now left with an injured and a much more damaged spirit, she now walked off into the wilderness, wondering about what she would do from here on. She couldn't go back to the hideout and retake her ship. She couldn't go back to her real family either. There was just no one else to look for…

Or is there?

Blake suddenly remembered. Maybe there was someone she could go to. For once since the realization of her former partner's brutality, she had hope again. She wished she could run to find the one person she could call on, but her injuries kept her from going so far. She had to limp her way to an unforgiving forest but with her weapons still intact and her hopes on a new high, she would not stop until she reached her destination. She had to find her.

Ilia…

 **END**

 **A/N~ Three down, one to go! And that is all from Blake's debut story. I've almost completed the guidelines to the whole story and now will be focusing on finishing up the next chapter, which would most definitely be about a certain blonde-haired boxer.**

 **Thanks for reading and many thanks to draco1221, slickman, RedShirt1453, Darth Sigma, DarkLogistics97, A.K.b00m and miltonski for favouriting and following the story so far.**

 **Coming up next is the Yellow chapter of our prologue arc! See ya guys soon, and may the Force be with you!**


	4. Yellow: The Rancor's Wrath

**A/N~ And here is the fourth prologue chapter! And yes, we will be going into our bombastic boxer extraordinaire! Before we get into that, here is my thanks to the review I got last chapter.**

 **DownTownAlpha:**

 **I'm really glad you like what I've done for the story! Thank you so much! I really hope you'll continue to like what I've got planned for the future chapters. And well, the title says it all. This is the Clone Wars, so of course you WILL be seeing clones anytime soon :D**

 **Also, an extended thanks to Sharkdude5, Wartank55, JacobG0117 and Azrith997 for giving this story a favourite and follow.**

 **Okay! So let's not stall here. Prepare to jump to hyperspace!**

* * *

 **Yellow: The Rancor's Wrath**

Level 1313,

Coruscant,

The under levels of the metropolitan world of Coruscant are always a magnet for the worst of crimes, even more so than Taris and Anima's capital of Mistral combined. The lowest of the low gather to commit crimes within the heart of the Republic. What with the Republic now focused on conflict against the Separatists, many crime syndicates, pirates and other dark organizations take up the chance to act while the Senate was now mobilizing for war and would have less time and resources to attack the criminal underworld. Coruscant was rampant with criminal activity, especially in the under levels. Each gargantuan level of dark and shady ground has its own degree of notoriety and standard of living and the lower you go, the worst the conditions were for anyone unfortunate enough to even be there.

While the lowest levels boasted some of the worst of the worst in the galaxy, the one level arguably the most popular was none other than Level 1313. Just enough exposure for those to see the sunny light of the surface, but still shadowy enough to hide the wicked low-lives of the galaxy. What made this particular level so infamous was that it served as the pinnacle point for crime waves to travel between the surface and the lower ones; those living below would rise while surface-dwelling criminals sink so low to escape authorities above.

At least life could be prosperous for some. Go down to a little bit down Filoniville and you could stop by a well-known bar known as Junior's Cantina, built from a former police station abandoned after an attack by the cantina's owner himself. It had since become a prime stopping spot for wayward travellers, hunters, mercenaries and more, well protected by his gang of urban mafia.

The owner, promptly named Junior for some apparent reason, was inside his bar, serving all of his customers at the time of the war's announcement by the Chancellor. The scene inside was being boomed by loud trippy beat box music, something different from most other cantinas where music is played with the more symphonized and upbeat jizz bands. Here, a lone DJ stood by playing with a pair of electronic disks, bringing more energy to the music. Patrons of all species either danced to the beat, stayed around for the unique assortments of refreshments or, behind the scenes, making some dangerous deals or bets on illegal activities.

Junior himself, dressed in his usual casual outfit, a yellow shirt underneath a black vest and a pair of navy blue shorts, was pouring some drinks for a couple of sore souls. A human market keeper and a Duro mercenary; both completely washed out after a bad sales day and an even worse spice run respectively.

Junior sighed at the pitiful bunch. It had already been a day since the Chancellor initiated the order to mobilize against the Separatists, but the repercussions of systems out from the Core were already taking action to restrict trade routes and enforce military efficiency to prepare for war. That had left most businesses and smaller companies heavily at risk from losing their money. Then again, the only thing Junior cared about from them was the fact they were going to at least waste a few actual chips to relieve them of their depression. And he knew the problems would continue and they would be back for more.

"Here you go, boys." He pushed the cups of alcoholic jawa beer off, sliding precisely towards the two unlucky customers. They solemnly took their cups and raised it as thanks to the bartender. The human took one big gulp to drown out his sorrows in one go, but the Duro just quietly sipped, hopeful that another opportunity might arise. Junior then rested himself on his hands atop the counter, willing to talk to the men about their day. "Had a rough day?"

"You can say that again." agreed the human after finishing his drink. "Tough day at work. Couldn't sell a damn thing." He wiped his mouth of the foam stuck to his lips from the drink. "At least I wasn't robbed, unlike some other seller next to me. Bantha fodder."

"I was hoping to catch me a few crates of spice from Oovo IV." added the Duro. "Apparently, the Republic's security in the system has tightened ever since the Chancellor opened his big mouth about going to war."

"Darn it." cursed the human. "That is why I'm struggling to earn my usual profits. The Republic's demands for increasing military efforts are already putting a toll on galactic trade. I don't think I can get the more sellable stuff if they're going to restrict shipments to the military!"

Junior just scoffed at their sorrows, almost mocking them in their despair. As long as he was the one getting the money anyway, he wouldn't give a damn about what people were going through. Though, if he needed his bar to keep the flow going, he should at least be hospitable, for now.

"Relax, gentlemen." He assured the two men. "It's a big galaxy out there. I'm sure some chance will come." _Pffft_ , he thought, believing that no one would even bother about them.

"Yeah, right." the human snorted in disagreement. "I can't even earn enough to make a living up in the surface. I'm stuck here as it is." Junior then poured a glass for himself to 'help' them regain their delight for the scenery around them. A little bit more drinking wouldn't hurt to make them forget their problems long enough for them to remember them again and come back for more, meaning more money.

"A toast, to us bottom dwellers." He raised his cup in the air, prompting the two bar-goers to do the same before the three of them simultaneously went bottoms up on their drinks and gulped it all down, starting yet another day of an unsuspected boost in business, all from the sorrows of those affected negatively by the war up ahead.

"AARGHHH!"

Then, the drinking ceremony was disrupted by a sudden bellowing yells coming from the front door. The music was abruptly halted with a screeching whizzing noise and everyone stopped to stare at what had happened at the door. Two fleeing Weequays ran right into the bar, screaming helplessly towards Junior at the counter. They pushed away the Duro mercenary and poked their heads out at the bartender with fear-stricken faces, panicking sporadically at him.

" _Boss!_ " They both screamed in Huttese. Luckily, Junior was fluent in their language, but he'd rather get straight to the point and, thus, spoke in Basic, something his underlings understood in return.

"Ergh! What is it now?" he groaned at the two's pathetic appearances, embarrassed with all of his customers staring at him with curious or amused looks. As much as he wanted to put up a straight face and apologize to the crowd, he was too impatient to bother about them, focusing on the two Weequay bikers, who looked like they had been chased in a swoop race or something. "Can't you see I have tons of customers today?"

" _But… boss! It's… It…!_ "

 **BOOOMM!**

They were unable to properly tell their boss what went wrong with them, and when they were about to, everyone in the room were alarmed by the booming sound of an explosion coming from the door.

"What the-?!" Junior screamed when he saw the bright flash followed by his metal doors flying across the room, crashing into the wall and nearly crushing a few timid drinkers who ran right away as the explosion happened, just in the nick of time. It wasn't a major explosion on a demolitions level, but it was still powerful enough to punch a hole on that door.

Just then, Junior caught sight of a silhouette coming from the smoking cloud, possibly from the one who caused the blast. At first, he gritted his teeth in fury, hoping to teach the person at the end of the door a lesson. It was as soon as the figure began to take form that his attitude also started to change. As he looked on, he saw what looked like long wavy hair…

"Oh no…" His fears had come true, now panicked by the sight of the silhouette now revealing itself, coming into the bar from the chaotic blast.

A blonde woman waltzed right with sass enough to knock men right off their toes. She was wearing a black, low cut and crop top sweater with short sleeves, along with a pair of grey shorts almost coming down only to her thighs. Her arms were covered by linen arm warmers wrapped all over them, complete with black gloves and a pair of yellow gauntlets worn around the wrists. Over her shirt, a long white jacket with black highlights draped down to her leg joints. She wore a beige neck collar around her neck and a pair of shades covered her eyes. Lastly, she wore a pair of black boots with orange linings and two skulls of small beasts buckled at the top of the shoes.

She took one good look at Junior and gave him a welcoming wink and a big grin. Yet, everyone, including Junior and his cohorts, shivered in fear at the presence of this cheerful, energetic woman.

"Hello, Junior!" called out the woman. "Did you miss me?" She was none other than the Yellow Rancor herself.

Yang Xiao Long.

The intruder walked right in, blissfully taking in the excitement of the scene, despite the absence of music playing, which was why she gave a knowing glare at the DJ. The cowardly Ithorian was hiding behind his radio station after the blast poking out his head to catch the eyes of the deadly fighter. He immediately jumped from his hiding place and complied with the 'request'. He was too afraid to manage the station for fear of getting shot, so he had to install a new tune just right for the brawler.

 _I Burn_. The hot hit all the way from Vale. Yang smiled as she let the exciting tune kick into her ears, making her heart beat up wildly. As she walked on. All the patrons either ran for their lives or hid behind anything they could find; tables, pillars and even the bashed up door. Yang ignored everyone and just focused her attention on the three dirty men at the counter. The Duro and the human market seller just ran out of the way.

Yang's notoriety was not to be ignored. She was made one of the most infamous smugglers in the galaxy, going around stealing and racketeering countless other criminal organizations for a living. She first started her tirade of smuggling business for clients ever since she was just twelve years old, beginning her rampage in Vale before shifting to Mistral and then eventually Coruscant. She had been wanted by many systems for her endless pursuit for riches through violent means. She was meant for this business and she would do almost anything to achieve what she wanted. To think that all of this started because of a scandal involving some Hutt operation that almost killed Gardulla the Hutt herself, earning Yang almost utmost hate from criminal gangs everywhere. Even the Republic was out to stop her, but so far, no matter what or who was after her, she was able to evade and fight off her pursuers. Many clients would immediately reject any bounty requests, fearing retribution by the Yellow Rancor; a name she used to spread fear in the hearts of low-lives across the galaxy.

She stopped by the counter, leaning against it as Junior and his thugs trembled before her presence. She removed the shades from her eyes, revealing the pair of blue eyes that honed in on the bartender. Her deceiving endearing smile was directed at Junior, her lips licked, craving for something sweet.

"I'll have that Muja fruit shake if you don't mind, but lose the Hsuberry essence." the brawler requested. Junior went to work right away, not even bothering to clean up the broken pieces of glass and bits of foam from the floor after his cup fell. He poured in that special drink for her and gave it to her without a word. The two Weequays at her side were about to run away, but Yang kept her eyes on them. Though her face looked welcoming, they knew she wasn't so friendly inside.

Once her drink was ready, she took the cup and sucked the fluid with the straw given, letting the drink refresh her senses. If the folks could see through her gaze, they'd be certain she was waiting on him to say something. The way she was taking her sweet time with her drink and Junior's jumpy expression were pretty much the indication that he was the main target in this little break-in. Junior was beyond frightened to the point of breaking down and running off for his life. No matter what he wanted to do, he just wouldn't dare do a single thing other than serving the Yellow Rancor and make sure he doesn't blow a fuse in her.

"B-Blondie." His voice came out stuttering and stiff. "What are you doing here? I'm in my prime right now." Yang stopped her drinking right away to answer the scaredy Loth-cat with her usual cheery demeanour.

"I came here to celebrate your success, man." She cheered with her arms spread out with complimentary joy. Junior didn't buy it; he was still caught in a death trap with her around.

"Look. I gave you all the details. I even sent these two womp-rats to find you and tell you what you need to know." he told Yang, pointing at the two numbskulls next to her. They leapt at the disapproving insult of their boss and the fact he had given them Yang's attention. This was where things starting to come to light as the first hint of Yang's notorious persona was noticed.

"Really?" She gave out a gasp in fake disbelief. Then, she looked towards the two Weequay with a stare that could make an acklay shiver. It was more than enough to make their eyes whiten. She furrowed her brows and made a serious frown. "I wasn't sure attempting to shoot me down at the station was the message you wanted to give me."

The Weequay shook timidly in her dangerous change of mood. It was then added up by the disappointed look their boss gave them as well. They couldn't tell if he was sure if he was either angry at them for their failure to get the job done or trying to cover up his involvement by rebuking them for 'disobeying his orders'. Regardless, he was going to give them one heck of an earful when he was done with her.

"I'll deal with you two later." He growled at them, giving them a firm warning about what he would do to them. It was all enough for the Weequay to run for their lives. They'd rather face the wrath of their boss than the fatal blows of the Yellow Rancor right about now. They fled the scene, not to be seen again.

Junior sighed, rubbing his head in utter frustration. Never send a biker to do a hitman's job; let alone two. The bumbling idiots now out of sight, he could get back to pleasing the beast in the room before things could get rough really quick.

"So, I'm going to ask you again, Junior." Yang was quick to remind the bartender of her business. "Where is it?"

"Please, Blondie." Junior was desperate to change the subject, refusing to answer her of what could get him a death sentence. "Not this again."

"I want to know where those spices are going." She landed her elbow on the table and pointed her finger at the frightened Junior. "They could be worthy enough to clear the large bounty on my head." She then pointed at herself, referring to her current troubles.

"But… those spices are property of the Mining Guild. They could put a target on my head if they knew if I was giving you intel. And do you know who they're sending the cargo to? The Torchwick Syndicate!"

Yang wouldn't give a darn about what he thought. She was only out for herself. Numerous organizations all made the united decision to put a nasty price on Yang after owing much debt to every one of them, and had every single bounty hunter out to get her. She may had survived every single encounter, but the countless amount of weight and hate thrown against her was starting to irritate her. One single hit-and-run on the Guild would be more than enough to settle her debts and guarantee herself safe from the loathsome bunch of people she pissed off. At least she would only have the Guild to come at her throat.

With Junior's persistence against her demands, Yang was getting very impatient at his stupid attempts to throw her off the subject at hand. So, she knew she had to let him have it. She threw a sucker punch on the scared bartender, grabbing him by the collar and pulled him closer to her face. She gave such a nasty stare that she sworn she heard a hiccup from the man, sounding off like some buffoon ( **A/N~ Looking at you, Gavin)**.

"Listen, Junior." snarled Yang. "I don't give a flying damn about Torchwick or whatever problems you have, but I'm on a very tight situation here. The least you can do is help a girl in trouble." She stopped talking to watch the fear being driven into the man. "But I'm not just some girl and I've got the firepower to prove it. So, start talkin', or I'll let the Hutts know where you're at right now and let them decide what to do with you."

Fudge that. Junior would rather deal with the Hutts than taking her on face-to-face. But it was all too much to handle. It was either cough up the details or get a hole punched right into his face. Broken under the pressure, there was nothing left with no excuses to throw at. If this kept up, he would have his groin kicked with extreme force.

"O-Okay! Okay!" He finally cracked. "I'll tell you! Just… let me live!" Yang gave him another deathly stare for a few seconds. Finally satisfied with his broken spirit, she decided to set him free from her death grip, releasing him by giving him a light shove. Junior backed up against the wall while he grabbed for his throat, steadying his collar. Yang crossed her arms and paid attention, still shooting daggers with her eyes at him.

"Where is the shipment?" Yang repeated her question. Junior knew he couldn't escape this one.

"It's heading for Nar Shaddaa. Torchwick put up an order for new spices to be sold to the Pike Syndicate in exchange for a large sum of credits."

"How much are we talking about?" Yang twirled with the straw of her glass as she waited for the answer she wanted to hear.

"About 50,000 credits worth." Her eyes brightened. Fifty thousand? That was more than enough for her to buy her very own apartment in the tallest towers of Cloud City! With that much money, she'd be able to last a few years without being hunted down. This was the chance she was waiting for. But there was no time to celebrate. She needed a little more information before being finished with this dimwit.

"Alright. So, I'm guessing the cargo's gonna be heavily guarded if it's that precious." she asked about the security of the shipment.

"You think?" Junior scoffed. "If you're going to raid the ship, then good luck getting past both the Guild's guards and Torchwick's men at the same time." warned Junior, though secretly wishing she'd be put down by the amount of security. Yang was almost done with her questioning. All she had to do was ask for the location of the cargo shipment and she was finally off.

"And where can I find the cargo being loaded at?" asked Yang again. This time, Junior, seemingly hopeless, didn't hesitate to answer her.

"At Cargo Bay 1977." With his final answer, Yang was, at last, satisfied. After finishing up the last of her drink, she finally stood up and gave Junior one final salute to see him off, giving that same smile of hers.

"Well, that wasn't so hard, was it?" she taunted. "Thanks for the info, Junior!" She then put on her shades again before bidding one last farewell to Junior, for now. "And don't worry. You'll live to serve another day." Yang then walked out towards the destroyed entrance way and was about to go off on her heist to see herself gone from the wanted lists.

"Yeah, sure thing, blondie." Junior answered as well, surprisingly calm after what he went through. Yang went off without a care in the world, leaving behind Junior to clean up the mess. If only she could see the bartender's face as she left the place.

Yang was finally out of the damaged doorway and on her way to her destination. She looked out to find that some of the pedestrians who caught her in the act had fled while others were still stunned to even move. The sight of the Yellow Rancor was too savage and intimidating for anyone to stop her. She moved on, heading for her custom-coloured speeder just parked opposite the building. A JR-4 swoop bike painted yellow all over and a few black patterns at the front bumper and a bit of orange highlights at the rear engines. It was a colour style just right for Yang. She was about to hop aboard and make the jumpstart to her prize and the money she needed.

But trouble was already onto her before she even started. From behind her she could hear the sounds of clicking and electric whirring noises; all giving her the very unwelcome notion that she had just been had.

"Oh boy…" She didn't turn to look what was happening. She didn't even need to. She already knew what was going on. Call it a hunch if you will, but Yang pretty much saw this coming from a light-year away. It seemed Junior had finally decided to take the pressure off of him and retaliate. "I knew I had a bad feeling about this."

When she did decide to turn around, she saw a full house of different men, mainly human and Gran with the two Weequay within the crowd, all armed with blasters aiming right at her. They all wore black suits with red undershirts; a very bizarre sight for an armed mob, but one which easily identifies these men as Junior's own gang of thugs, the Xiong Mob Masters.

 _Speak of the devil_ , Yang thought, when she laid eyes on the boss himself. Finally, out of his cowardly shell, he came out bold and cocky with a Merr-Sonn heavy blaster in his hands. Even with this fiery standoff, Yang just put her hand on her hip and lowered her shades so her eyes could be seen behind, smirking at the man and his gang of mobsters.

"Why did I have the feeling you'd finally crack, Junior?" she mocked the boss with a wink to add taste to her sass. "What's wrong? Didn't like the warm reception I gave you?"

"You've messed with me for the last time, Xiao Long." urged Junior. "And now, you'll bite the dust at last."

"Come on, Junior." Though she wasn't really fazed by his opposition, she was still going to have some fun with mocking around with him. "Can't we just kiss and make up?" This time, Junior had already made his choice. He was going to get rid of the Yellow Rancor like no one had ever done before.

"Not going to happen this time… Blondie." He aimed his heavy blaster at Yang, followed by everyone else who directed their weapons at the Yellow Rancor. Despite the odds which should never be told to her, Yang just sighed, brave in the face of ten weapons aimed at her.

"Alright." She shrugged her shoulders, looking like she wanted to avoid such a bad confrontation. Quite the contrary, as she moved her hands to her belt, where a pair of dual blasters rested right into their holsters. She pulled them out and gave them a couple of spins before cocking them to firing mode. The blasters were basically two pistols but built thicker than most standard ones.

A larger barrel made for spread fire instead of the straight single-shots with cylindrical magazines built into each weapon. These were essentially shotgun-pistol hybrids, custom-made from blasters made straight out of Golan Arms, cut short and fully upgraded to perfection. Yang's preference for close-quarter combat made these weapons a primary choice. She also showed her love for these masterpieces by giving them the same paint job as her own bike.

They even have names; Ember Celica. And she was ready to let them do the talking. It was time to have some fun.

Junior and his gang saw the smug look on her face, suggesting she wouldn't back down. In fact, she was challenging them. Junior smirked as well, itching for a fight and make this miserable woman a mess all over. It's been a long while since his gang had a firefight, but the odds stacked against her, he believed she was going to be toast the second she would begin.

"Let 'er have it, boys!" Playing the same burning theme song in her head, Yang prepped to let the mob make the first move. She crossed her arms together and bent down, getting ready to leap in the air.

Then, Junior made the first move. Two of his men pointed their guns at her and let loose a barrage of laser bolts. Yang timed her jump precisely before the men even pulled their triggers and with one big push of her body, jumped right up and forward towards Junior. In mid-air, the men could see the brawler making her way towards them. They all scattered to avoid her heavy landing, shifting to the opposite side of the building before Yang finally touched down. They could had sworn they heard the ground shake with her landing. Once she made the landing, Yang used her right pistol and made one shot at a few of the men on her right.

The pistol fired out a wide blast that let loose pieces of shrapnel that threatened to pierce through their soft flesh. Along with the sharp pieces, a larger bullet also came out of the barrel, following the shrapnel towards its target. The set of projectiles quickly made their way to the gangsters, only for them to get to cover almost instantly to avoid getting shredded. The shot managed to hit only the mailbox and streetlight they hid behind while the large round hit the road and caused a small explosion. One of the lucky men sighed, relieved to avoid a combination of flak and explosive firepower.

Yang cocked up her gun again. She had just used up her frag grenade on her right gun, so she would have to resort to using the rest of the flak rounds before reloading on that gun. But, she then made use of her left gun just as soon as Junior and his men fired from behind her. She stepped behind, narrowly avoiding their clumsy aiming before letting loose another frag and more flak fire. Junior and his boys took cover behind whatever was in the vicinity. A few parked airspeeders, trash cans and other abstract objects.

With both of her frags used for that round, Yang made her move to finish off the gangsters. She made her move and saw the two gangsters she shot at first. She started sprinting towards them, alarming the men to fire back. She took the chance and ran carelessly towards her targets, firing more of her shotgun blasts at them to discourage them from firing their weapons. Once they retreated down, she leapt over their spot and appeared right in between them.

The men shrunk down in cowardice and closed their eyes to look away from the pain of shrapnel that was about to come. However, Yang had a different approach. She took to one of the spooked out men and grabbed him up, giving him one powerful punch to the stomach before blasting him away with another fist to the face, throwing him off. She then followed up with another low kick to the groin of the other thug and delivered a spin kick to his shoulder that sent him whirling down on the ground. Both men sustained a lot of pain, but they were still alive, barely.

Yang was beyond many things, but a murderer she was not. She would only kill if absolutely necessary, so these thugs were fortunate that they weren't really worth her effort. Speaking of which, Junior was terrified to see two of his men already down for the count. That didn't stop him from ordering his men to continue putting the pressure on Yang. They peeked over from their covers and fired more of their weapons. Yang quickly took cover behind the same debris her first two hits had used earlier. She waited before the bullets died down and she would have enough chances to run over. To increase her odds even further, she stood up and fired more rounds onto the gang, forcing them back.

She then hid back and reloaded her weapons with fresh magazines. Once they were locked in place, she would have new flak rounds with a couple of new explosive shots at her disposal. Once ready, she fired up both of her explosive rounds onto Junior's position. A couple of his men were hiding behind an airspeeder when the frag rounds blew up the vehicle and sent it hurling over the men. The force of the blast pushed them back down to the ground, knocking both of them out. The destroyed vehicle landed right behind Junior himself, close to crushing two more mobsters behind him.

Junior snarled with annoyance, frustrated that he couldn't land a single shot or hit on his sworn enemy. Giving himself a shot, he walked right out and fired his heavy blaster. The weapon shot out a highly rapid barrage of energy shots spat out with great velocity. The rain of projectiles had Yang fall back for some more cover. However, once the lasers hit, she was suddenly met with the full force of the barrage acting against the smashed mailbox that sent it flying away. She had to run back before Junior let out another stream of laser rounds at her. She ran and ran until she leapt back behind a more stable and heavier newsstand which was built stuck to the ground.

Though she had more solid protection, the walls of the stand were still being punched repeatedly into the structure until eventually the wall on the other side broke into a hole large enough to let the barrage in. All there was left was the wall Yang was right against. Junior had stopped, reloading his extremely large weapon by inserting the power charge belt into the chamber below the weapon. Yang saw this as he chance to strike back, knowing that it'd take quite a while to reload a weapon of that size, especially one built by the Morellian Weapons Conglomerate.

She got back up and prepared to shoot Junior's weapon away before she could give him a nice dose of punches to the guts and anywhere best not mentioned. She made the run while Junior was still loading in a new set of energy charges, thinking that she would be able to charge right and take the shot. But suddenly, more of Junior's men had arrived to assist him by jumping right in and fired their weapons immediately. Yang quickly dragged to a stop and shifted away from the danger and barely saving herself from a nasty fate.

She ran and reached for a table outside the bar and flipped it down to be used as a barricade between her and the ongoing salvo of blaster fire. After vaulting over, she immediately cursed from losing her open door to kicking Junior's ass and sending him packing.

Junior was able to fully load his gun up and resumed to fire along his men. He figured now was the time to really mess with her. He started to fire his repeater blaster and spread it out all over her area. He wasn't going to hit her, at least not intentionally. Instead, he was going to really psych her out and give her so much stress, she'd be bound to poke out and get shot anyway.

Yang knew this was some way to get her riled up, but it wasn't going to work. She was going to keep her cool and let the idiot run out of charges again so she could come out and take out his boys before she could finish up with Junior himself. Nothing was going to make her break. Absolutely… nothing.

 **KRAK!**

Except one thing…

Yang felt a slight burn coursing through her head. She felt a laser bolt zap right above her and…

 _Oh no…_

Eyes wide open, she slowly faded into a trance as if time had come to a grinding slow. It was then, from out of nowhere, she saw it.

Strands of yellow hair, floating down before her very eyes…

 _BUMM BUMM_

There was a heartbeat…

 _BUMM BUMM_

A strange yet burning feeling was boiling inside…

 _BUMM BUMM_

She felt her blood racing forth across her entire system…

 _ **BUMM BUMM**_

All at once, her body felt so heated, so aggravating…

 _ **BUMM BUMM**_

 _ **BUMM BUMM**_

 _ **BUMM BUMM BUMM BUMM BUMM BUMM**_

Her brows furrowed, her eyes almost blood red…

And then…

 _ **BUMM BUMM BUMM BUMM BUMM BUMM**_

 _ **BUMM BUMM BUMM BUMM BUMM BUMM**_

 **BRAK!**

…she snapped.

"ARGHH!" Rage. There was only rage. The brawler had reached her boiling point. Her wild scream echoed through the streets, bringing with it a sudden chill that raced right through all within the area. Junior and his boys could almost feel the intensity of Yang's anger strike within his very heart, making them stop firing. His bones were now getting even whiter than the whole surface of Orto Plutonia and his body was surely shivering as if he was on that Pantoran protectorate.

He saw Yang's face when she turned around. A face of the beast within. This was it. The wrath of the Yellow Rancor was about to begin.

"You. Are. So…" "Going to pay…" She growled at an all-time low, fury already building up. She wielded her Ember Celica and made a dreadful stare on whoever dared to shred her hair. Junior was shivering so badly, he couldn't keep his aim straight and his morale was struck hard just by looking at Yang at her most furious. His men were no better as they too trembled before the might of the smuggler.

"D-Don't just stand there!" Junior did his best to maintain his order. "Shoot her down!" Everyone obliged as they resumed their firing positions. Yang just stood there, adrenaline pumpin' and body all heated up for action and revenge.

"I don't think so, you slime ball." She spoke in a tone that could send Jabba running. Junior proceeded to fire his repeater at her and his men followed behind. Yang just ran forward, running around the laser barrage with increased speed. She didn't care if laser fire was all over the place. She just wanted to rip Junior and his boys into a million pieces with ferocity even a lightsaber could not achieve.

But her rush of outrage was actually making things easier for her. The men were so in fear of her temper that they were just shaking with their aim, missing a lot further than they could get. Yang kept on sprinting; her anger still mounting. She was not powered like some Jedi or given any enhancements, cybernetic or via stimpak. This was pure genetics as she claimed; she was born with this hot temper and she had always used it to get out of the worst of situations.

Once she came close enough, Junior and his men were beyond stunned. With one clench of her fist, she gave one of the strongest punches anyone had ever seen. The force of the blow was powerful enough to fling the Gran thug with a concussion, throwing him off to the side before falling down to the hard concrete. The next thug was then punched in the gut, delivering a bone-shattering pain that instantly immobilized the gangster before she punched him again in the face, sending him flying as well. Junior was now at his end's wits, watching Yang grab another man before him and tossed him as hard as she could to a building. The force was so tremendous that it actually a dent on the metal wall!

Before Yang could get to an almost pale Junior, she heard a loud explosion and felt shook up by the blast. She sharply turned around to find yet another group of Junior's boys. This time, it was four men with stun batons and a large Gigorian who didn't wear much clothing other than an electronic mask on his mouth, but was equipped with a pair of metal knuckles meant for a brutal beatdown. The huge alien made a low roar in an attempt to scare the blonde brawler into submission before boxing his fists together to further show off his strength.

Nevertheless, Yang was still as angry as ever, if not even more. She had no time to think about running off. Her fire was burning out of control, putting the pressure in her violent craving for some payback. She just charged forth and let her fists do the work, leaving no time for even her blasters which should get the job done easily. She was going to vent out her frustration the only way she'd go for, hardcore physical contact, making sure she'd feel her hard blows to the enemy enough and be satisfied with their suffering.

The four men all came forward to face the boxer with their batons electrified and battle-ready. Yang was in reach to give the thugs a nice little punch to each and every one of their faces. One swung his baton, aiming for her head, but Yang caught the guy by the arm as he lashed out. With one strong pull of her strength, she tossed him like a ragdoll and sent him crashing into another Rodian thug. The other two baton-wielding men ran for her with the same ferocity. Once again, Yang bided her time and waited for the thugs to swing their batons at her. She used her wrist to block the first thug that attacked and then swung her arm to stop the second strike. After defending herself, she delivered a roundhouse kick that swept through both of the thugs' heads, knocking them out instantly.

It was finally down to the last guy in the confrontation; the Gigorian brute. He roared again before slamming both of his fists to the ground. Yang followed up with a bash of her own fists into each other, accepting the challenge. The colossal boxer came forth and raised his fist to clobber her. Yang quickly moved out of the way by jumping backwards just as the Gigorian smashed his fist into the ground with powerful force to shake the area around her.

She then dashed forward and gave the furry alien her own set of punches. This time, the Gigorian was evenly matched with his own strength going toe-to-toe against hers in a tough struggle. They both locked their fists together, pushing each other to see who should be victorious in the clash of the titans. Yang gave it all she could, not relenting one bit while keeping her feet practically glued to the floor with her strength. The taller Gigorian had a slight height advantage over her, being able to push his entire weight down onto Yang and putting the pressure on her legs.

Soon, it proved to be too much for the blonde boxer. She finally gave way and lost her grip on the brute, causing her to lose her strength as well. The Gigorian found the chance to deliver an unforgiving double punch to Yang's stomach. The woman was bombarded with extreme pain shot around her body like a blaster bolt, clutching her hurt stomach after the blow was given. However, the Gigorian was far from over. He proceeded to bash her in the face from side to side with the metal alloy of the knucklers completely devastating her. Then, he went for the low blow and made a very dirty kick to her chest, pushing her a few feet away from the gloating brute. Yang was dragged across the rough surface of the road, adding more injury to her already battered body that only seemed to feel numb when she came to a stop.

The Gigorian let out a taunting cackle before giving out a rude belch to bask in her misery. Junior, who was standing safely on the other side of the street, was grinning coldly at his wounded nemesis. He was sure that Yang would never be able to get up from that one. The Gigorian was his number two; his right-hand man. He gave him the best of the best equipment to finish the job, discreetly making the rest of his mob nothing more than a bunch of bantha fodder. He didn't really care about the rest of the men toppled down by Yang. He knew they'd get back up anyway. If one of them was completely killed, then screw it. Dump the body elsewhere where no one would find it. Simple as that.

Unfortunately for him, there was no end to Yang's short temper. She was still holding up against her pain, but was shaken up that she couldn't stand back up straight. Her body was bent a little bit down from a backache and her face, despite suffering the worst of the attacks, was still in shape, only bruised. It was a miracle that her injuries were only minor. And with her body back up, her anger had reached a new high level of danger.

It almost looked like her eyes had gone red, not from the weakness from her pain, but from the boiling strains that were caused by her agitation. She was so mad they could had sworn it went on fire, or probably more of a gold aura of sorts. It was just an exaggeration, but the meaning was true. They had truly pissed off the wrong Xiao Long.

Nevertheless, the Gigorian stood his ground, anticipating another blowout with the human. Yang was getting angrier and angrier by the minute. The pain was soon cast away, almost like it was transformed into a boost of energy and power. She let out all of her frustration and hurt into her own system, making her even hungrier for more carnage.

"HHARRRGHH!" Then, she ran. She charged right for the Gigorian, who was still unmoved by her sudden boost of strength. But she was about to give his first taste of total annihilation. He came forward and joined both of his hands together before attempting to slam her down with one fatal knockdown. However, Yang had already learnt from her mistake and instead rolled underneath the fists while they were almost halfway down to the ground. As she finished, she then channelled all of her power into her fist and gave the Gigorian the worst punch; the most horrifying slam that no one should ever face.

"Erk…" It was too late to even utter. Yang's fist had already collided into the worst possible spot on the map.

 **BASH!**

The Gigorian yelped in the utmost agony. All the pain in the galaxy could not compare to what he was going through. There was nothing else to even describe. Even Junior was flinching in pure horror at what had befallen to his second-in-command. It was so brutal, so powerful that even the author retelling this story can't go on with the details. All that can be said that, fortunately, it wasn't too horrible. His large body and well-built muscular physique protected him form a worse fate. But the Gigorian was already beyond being out of the count. He was going to have tons of sick days after this.

Just like that, he had taken the fall and just laid there, practically unconscious. Yang was still bent down and her fist was still in the air after delivering the shattering punch. She slowly brought it back down and rose back up. She was still letting out steam, her body was burning as it was before and her temper was still flaring up. With her temperature up and running, she turned to face the idiot who started it all.

Junior was once again in a very spoilt pickle. He was again the cowardly rat he was when she was in the bar. All frightened and stunned to the core. He laid his eyes on the raging boxer who took out his entire gang and he was unable to do anything. Not even pick up his heavy repeater to finish the job. There wasn't even any point trying. Yang had just decimated everyone single-handedly, halfway without her guns. Would he make any difference whatsoever?

Yang certainly wouldn't think so. She was already about to settle the score with Junior, making her way towards Junior. The petrified mob boss was already jabbering like a Kowakian monkey lizard backed in a corner. There was no running from her wrath this time. If he was going to accept his punishment, he was going to take it like a man. At least, that was what he hoped.

Yang punched her own fist into her palm, eager to show no mercy to this bratty no-good loser and teach him a lesson. Never **EVER** mess with Yang Xiao Long, the Yellow Rancor. She inched closer and closer, ready to deliver the punishing blow to Junior.

Unfortunately, nothing really lasts forever. Suddenly, she felt a sharp drop of her energy. Her burning anger was now starting to cool down very fast. Finally, it seemed that the inner fury of the Yellow Rancor was already going down to a complete stop. Her body had fallen weak and out of power, forcing her to slump down and take time to let herself cool down. She was now back to her old self.

Junior was slowly watching Yang undergo her ultimate cool-down before cracking up a grin of arrogance and wicked hope. Well, it looked this was another chance to rid himself of this oppressive and insane punk once and for all. While Yang was crouched down still cooling off, Junior went to go pick up a stun baton from one of his fallen lackeys and headed for the incapacitated Xiao Long. Giving the baton a few pats onto his palm before charging it up, he was honing in for the brawler's head to knock her out. After that, he would send her to whoever was willing to give him the highest price for her capture. This was going to be a huge win, regardless of what had happened to his place.

"I got you now, blondie." He raised his baton ready to claim his prize. He was about to make the hit and end her reign for good.

 **DRKK!**

"DUK!" Clearly, he had underestimated her odds. "Eeepp…" His stomach was now a mess and the one to cause it was none other than a direct punch to the gut by the seemingly downed smuggler. Despite her shutdown, she still seemed to have a bit of energy left to inflict some massive pain. The bartender was definitely out for the count. He held his stomach as he fainted down on the ground in a very pitiful yelp.

After her rapid cool-down, Yang slowly got back up and brushed her hair back with her filthy hands, stroking the bit that was cut off by the moron who would dare to aim for her hair. She would be most lovely to find the bastard and give him an extra beating. However, there was no time to grieve for her lost strands.

For all she knew, she must had caused a commotion and the authorities could very well be on their way to resolve the crisis. She had to bail and head for her mission while the information given by Junior was still fresh in her head. He had better hoped that she'd find her quarry. Otherwise, she was going to come back and really put an end to his business.

"Loser." She gave one final cold taunt before walking past the twitching weakling on the ground. Yang held her head after a complete drainage in her concentration followed by a swelling headache slightly severe, but enough for her senses to null down. She then headed for her precious Bumblebee, which had miraculously survived the onslaught unscathed and in perfect condition. She hopped onto the bike and started up the engines before giving one good jumpstart to speed off away from the scene.

As she rode on for her objective, she cleared her mind of the mess going on in her head and let the strong breeze acting against her calm her. The anger she had launched upon herself was not the way she intended to win the fight.

She was just that easily aggravated when it came to battling. Any lost strand of hair, any scratch or bruise left in her body and every little failure to one up her opponent; it was all enough to trigger her inner beast and unleash her might upon those who dared take her on. She was always in high spirits whenever she battled, always sure she would win without being hurt or even scratched. However, when push came to shove, she wouldn't let it go. She had to use her anger and push it all out on her foes.

This happened so often that she began to wonder…

What had happened to her?

She didn't have a problem being a smuggler running raids on the richest of the rich, but she was questioning what had her horrible short temper cost her?

She used to be so full of cheer in the nicest way possible in Yang's standards. She was the life of the party, always there to brighten up one's day and help out those in need. But now, she was beginning to think that all of that was lost because of her inability to keep her cool. To be brutally honest, it made her lose a lot in life.

Her friends, her family, and most especially…

Her own little sister.

She felt like everything was gone the moment she left them. It was the hardest decision to make when she started off. However, over time, she learned to let go of her past and embrace the future, no matter how unfortunate it may had been. But she would still hold on to that one trait that would always remind her of the many losses she had suffered.

Her anger. And, whether she liked it or not, she thought it would stay there…

Forever…

* * *

Back at the street left behind by Yang's destructive rage, Junior had finally recovered from his very much unfortunate defeat, literally at the hands of the blonde punk. His stomach was still churning, no doubt, and he had to walk like a hunchback to keep his tummy from swelling worse than it already was.

Then, when he looked around to find his corner of the area wrecked and burning, he knew he was in for a lot more than just Yang. Coruscant's under-level police could had well heard the blasting noise that had echoed throughout the darkness of the streets and were most definitely on their way to investigate.

This was not looking good for the bartender. All of his men were down and out, with their weapons all littered and ripe for becoming evidence of the dark truths of Junior Xiong. Suddenly, he heard a few tapping noises coming from behind him. He shifted around to find a pair of similarly identical women with long black hair and dressed in rather fancy yet seductive attire.

"Sorry we're late, boss." The first twin, Melanie, spoke.

"Did we miss something?" Militia, the other woman followed. Junior just gave off a very unsatisfied growl. He was indeed baffled at the absence of the two of his best henchwomen during the entire scuffle with Yang.

"You girls…" However, there was no time to complain. "Drgh!" The authorities were probably on their way right now and the last thing he wanted to do was to argue with a couple of disobedient twins before he would be arrested for his true colours. "Forget it. The cops will be here any minute now. I want you to clean up this mess."

His orders to clear the evidence and salvage the fallen crew were met with unsavoury huffs from the two of them.

"Hmph." They simultaneously showed their disapproval, but they would go on anyway albeit reluctantly. As bossy and rude as their boss was, they could not argue with a boss who had a great amount of dough. They went to work at clearing up the unconscious and injured men, as well as cleaning up the obvious stuff that would expose their boss.

"And girls." Then, they were called upon by their boss. "When you're done, I want you both to find that mangy blonde wretch, and cut her down!"

The twins made similar grins. Maybe their boredom wouldn't come to haunt them after all. As long as their boss gave them the money and the excitement to go with it, they were more than willing to carry out the task. Junior didn't care anymore.

Dead or alive. Yang Xiao Long was going to be good as done!

* * *

 **A/N~ And thus, we end the introduction of our poster girls! Boy, I had such fun writing the starting points of these characters and making sure that their inclusion into the Star Wars galaxy would help them fit in well. Judging by the feedback given, I'm very happy with what I've done for the first three characters, so I'm hoping what you guys think of our favourite blondie. Also, yeah. No puns from Yang today. Weird right? Don't worry, I've got tons of them to use, but I won't go overboard, I assure you.**

 **Or wouldn't I…?**

 **Speaking of blonde fighters, just because the girls of RWBY have debuted, our prologues are not done. If you have a good idea what I'm going to reveal next, then hats off to you!**

 **Next on the list is none other than the other four characters of JNPR! I've already worked out how they are going to come in and once they're done, then we can get on with the main story! There's going to be a lot more expansion to adapting the world of Remnant into the next chapters as well, so hopefully everything works out in the end.**

 **Moving on to this chapter, in case anyone's wondering, the gun Junior used against Yang is actually the same type of gun used by Baze from** _ **Rogue One**_ **. I wanted to go for a rocket launcher like the one in RWBY, but I felt the scene set in Coruscant would be too hectic for an all-out battle of explosive proportions. So I decided to give him something slightly less volatile and yet deadly enough to give Yang a run for her money.**

 **However, while I'm excited about releasing the rest of the prologue chapters, I might need to take a break from this story and focus on getting my other stories up and running. I've got another RWBY story to update, as well as some for Power Rangers and Pokemon, so hop on over to my profile to catch my other projects. I'll be coming back here once I've got things sorted out.**

 **As always, thanks again for reading. Leave a review and tell me what I can do for the story and I will be forever grateful. May the Force be with you!**


	5. Jaune & Pyrrha: Quest for Greatness P1

**A/N~ I've been trying to update my other stories, but the National Novel Writing Month had me return back to this story to try and achieve that 50,000** **th** **word mark. Alas, I should be able to exceed that count with this chapter. I originally intended this to be a single chapter, but I didn't want to exert too much into one entry so easily. I'll upload the second part real soon, so keep an eye out for that update notification!**

 **Thanks to TheNextShadow and WARLORDX592 for following the story so far!**

* * *

 **Jaune and Pyrrha: The Quest for Greatness (Part 1)**

The war had just begun. Word had reached the Republic that the first blows were exchanged on the desert planet of Geonosis where the Separatists were operating from. While the battle was considered a victory for the Republic, the whole galaxy knew that this would mean all-out war in an unprecedented scale not seen for a thousand years.

As the galaxy suited up for war, one corner of it was already deploying troops and training even more to take the place of those who had fallen. Even as the Republic depended more on the extremely productive and effective use of the new clone army built from the unknown facilities on Kamino, few planets geared up by sending in their own armies to help provide aid to their respective allegiances. Perhaps nowhere is as prepared for this rate of contribution as the planets in the Remnant System; a collection of planets that were aligned through conflict spanning millennia.

Now, faced with a new larger conflict, the planets within the system had come together to build their armies to help the Grand Army win the war against the Separatist Alliance, with millions of soldiers drafting to serve and then be trained in numerous academies, such as those in Vacuo, Atlas, Mistral and most notably…

Vale.

* * *

Royal Academy of Vale,

Vale,

Remnant Coalition,

With almost millions of individuals signing up for the war, the cultural centre of the Remnant Coalition was among the first to acknowledge its role in the Republic. Despite initial reluctance to fight in the war, the people understood that their everyday life filled with art and crafts would be destroyed should the Separatists ever invade.

Academies throughout the planet of Vale were put to work in a much stricter pace with the demands for troops at an all-time high. With its neighbours also preparing to fight, there was widespread enlistments everywhere.

Probably the busiest of all the academies was the one in the capital city, which shared the name of the planet itself. A very technologically advanced metropolis which had a council building of its own towering over everything atop a rock plateau. It's like a big chunk of Coruscant was ripped off and then stuck onto a wide open grassland over the cliffs and the sea. A strategic location where agriculture and industry could work hand in hand, unlike the other Remnant planets.

Vale's Royal Academy was situated in a very crowded place; somewhat a staple location considering the amount of soldiers needed for the war. Flocks of men and women were standing outside to put their names in and register for the Academy. The complex itself was quite spacious, even on the outside, which would be a very fitting place for the numbers of people crowding the streets right now.

It held the unique distinction of being built right next to another notable landmark. The Jedi Temple of Vale, where the planet's own group of Jedi Knights resided and trained in. With the war looming, the Jedi here, like all other temples and smaller enclaves, were now required – yes, **required** – to join the army and lead these soldiers into battle. Something that most thought was contradicting to the ways of the Jedi, that war was only a means of destruction and corruption.

The Temple was indeed the hub of a philosophy; which students were trained to enlighten lost souls on the planet. They light the way to peace and better solutions. It's no wonder that the temple had another suitable name for itself.

Beacon Temple, for it didn't really look much like the grand complex of spires found on Coruscant, but rather a single towering spire with much smaller ones clustered into it, dwarfing many of the other buildings in the city which specialized in training young Jedi to prominence with the Force through spirituality and art.

Today was going to be the first of many hectic others. But while hundreds awaited their turn to be enlisted, there was already a good number of freshmen under way to be qualified for deployment. Even the reluctant ones, especially for one very hesitant young man…

* * *

"ARGH!" A feminine shriek echoed through the academy's training room. The large chamber filled with barricades, sets of electric wiring and other obstacles, all built along a tricky course where recruits entering the academy were put to the test to prove their endurance when rushing into battle. The area was also very dark, illuminated only by a few lights lining among the artificial metal trenches where the course was taking place in.

However, for one of their less fortunate students, he was feeling the pressure of an extremely harsh obstacle course run a little too much. It would had been common practice to run through an obstacle course without anything behind you to either motivate or scare the living daylights out of soldiers-in-training. Then again, it would seem to be too boring as well, which was why the officials at the academy developed a very 'fun' twist to the challenge.

They would release a pack of anooba creatures to pursue the trainees as they run through the course, providing a very terrifying way of encouraging the troops to rush their way to the finishing point. It seemed to work in helping soldiers understand the virtue of surviving through a battlefield when on the move. But for this one applicant on the field, it was all very overwhelming…

Nope. Overkill would be a better term for him.

At least the anooba were well trained. They'd really be hunting this cowardly trainee for a meal instead of being sent to simply scare the heck out of softies who were unprepared for the sweat-inducing, pain-driven training sessions. Unfortunately, for the trainee in the middle of the course, there was going to be a lot more than just a pack of frightening creatures.

When he managed to scurry under some electric wiring after barely dodging the anooba, he would soon come across another harrowing obstacle. As soon as he begins to crawl sluggishly into the wire doing his best not to get shocked by the energy-charged wiring, the two walls on both sides of the trainee soon had holes opening up to reveal the barrels of droid-controlled automatic rifles lining up to fire on each other. The firefight above made for a very immersive yet terrifying simulation of real-life blaster fire, setting off a chain reaction of flashing flickers of light that attacked the man's eyes while the booming noises of continuous fire struck his hearing; both culminating into a frenzy of loud and traumatizing combination that forces the man to once again scream in terror as he crawled the heck out of there.

Despite his speed, however, his superiors watching him from an observation post above the dug-in course were not impressed. Yes, the trainee was showing a commendable pace, but it could only last for so long. In this course, surviving the battle meant more than just speed. It was the spirit and attitude to take on the battle with bravery and courage that would propel you to become a soldier worthy of going to war. You were not expected to be the fastest, unless you were a messenger or a scout, but this was the course for the common soldier. To pass this course, you must not only reach your objective. You must brave the danger head on and that would keep you running towards your goal.

Unfortunately for the recruit down in the field, his pitiful fear had kept him more of running around all over the place than running straight to the end as every time he was met with an obstacle, he'd take small detours around the danger instead of taking them on headstrong. It was a show of ridicule and shame. A humiliation for the trainee, but he was too fearful to even think about pride and glory right now.

So, after a ridiculous amount of stops and screams midway through the wiring adding delay to his time, the soldier, out of his wits, managed to crawl out of the wiring and back to running. But that was when he was faced with one final challenge.

The finishing point was just in front of him, on the other side of a minefield! The runner was now beyond terrified at the sight of a field of buried explosives ready to blow up and put an end to his already troubled military career, unable to continue forward with bravery.

Well, unknown to him, it wasn't exactly a minefield of explosives. It was more of a set of white messy shame, probably foam from fire extinguishers. But the field was still going to give anyone who came across it a huge surprise. All the men had to do in this course was to traverse through the course as carefully as they could, but still do it within a tricky margin of time. The ditches where each mine was dug into should had been deep enough to be noticed by anyone who came across them.

As our trainee neared a mine, the device was triggered by his movement and bounced up in the air.

"AAAHHH!" It was a split second before the soldier just ran for cover before the small explosive detonated in a blast of white foam which splattered all over its vicinity, followed by a loud cracking sound to simulate actual bomb noises. The recruit soon made a mad dash throughout the course, passing through all the ditches in his path which then triggered all of the other mines in them. One by one, they all popped out and blew up in a chain reaction of slimy goo blowing up everywhere with each step of the soldier's cowardly run.

Suddenly, as he was about to reach the finish, he soon tripped over a dirt bump on the ground and fell flat on the ground, face first. As if the pain of having his face flattened on the ground wasn't bad enough, it was where he landed that proved to do more insult. After his painful fall, he looked up to get himself back up, but was too late to realize what was in front of him. It was yet another ditch, and with his body in front of it, a mine went off.

 **SPLAT!**

The soldier's face was smacked with a nasty surprise with the white foam all over his face, dripping down after the unfortunate blunder. He was already close to the finishing point where he could brush off his cowardice and at least finish clean and simple. Alas, he was met with only the sheer embarrassment and a face full of cleaning foam. A pitiful ending for this young lad.

He was supposed to enter this course to come out a man stronger than ever before. He was to fulfill and serve within a long line of warriors and soldiers who served the Royal Army of Vale for generations. A man with that kind of goal could had already finished his time in the Academy within almost six months. For him, it was already one and a half years since he was drafted into the army, and here he was, still shabby in his courage and clumsy with his stride. There was very little he had gained from his time in the Academy, remaining the same man who entered in the first place.

"Alright!" The soldier could already hear the utter disappointment from his superior's voice over the loudspeaker. "End the simulation!" And just like that, it was all over. The lights around the course were lit back on in a brilliant flash and alarm bells rang to signal the end of the round. The young soldier down on the dirt was now feeling even more ashamed by his repeated failure to even run a simple course. Really, how much longer would it take for him to get further than this, he thought to himself. There was nothing more than shame he could feel right about now as he wiped the dirt and foam of his face.

When he rose up, he could see his superior officer walk towards him, hands behind his back and staring at him with dissatisfaction. From the looks of his dark green uniform and cap, and a badge made of two rows of three squares each; red on the top and blue on the bottom, stuck to his right chest area, he was definitely a captain. With his brown shoulder pads and a golden Valese ring work around his head, he stood over the lost soldier, ready to deliver a very unsettling remark for him.

"Well, Cadet Arc." he spoke with authority. "I don't know how you've managed this long in the Academy, but that says a lot about your incompetence when in battle."

"Forgive me, sir." The young Jaune Arc apologized timidly. "I was sure I almost had it."

" _Almost_ isn't good enough, Mr. Arc!" The captain yelled back. "It's already been more than a year. One year! And where are you now?" "That's right. Still here, in this measly mud pit, where almost every single man and woman trained here had already settled within one or two tries."

Jaune was already feeling the burn of the humiliating reality, hanging his head down in shame as the captain walked away to leave him and let him seep in his shame.

"You're just lucky Admiral Port still has high hopes for you, young man. I can never understand why he thinks someone as slow as you would ever remain in service for the kingdom."

Jaune continued to feel very downed by the disappointment his officer had shown him. It was one of many brutal verbal takedowns he had taken over the course of extended time in the Academy. Things were clearly not going his way as time passed on. Many of his seniors had all graduated and were going to serve in the fields of war in any moment, and he was still here, dragging onto a mere training course without any sign of progress. The only thing he felt that was progressing was his failure and it would continue to push him down into a void of uncertainty.

* * *

After another rough day of training, Jaune was finally freed from the horrors of obstacle courses and artificial battle simulators. He was still aching from his little falls from running across the rigid course, twisting back his wrists and stretching his limbs to bring his bones back to normal condition.

He knew his captain was right. He was already overstaying his welcome, if he could call it a welcome. He was already ridiculed by many of his peers ever since he came in and he was still being taunted at by each new generation of recruits. Everyone he knew in the Academy had already graduated at the age of sixteen, and yet, here he was, still at training at seventeen years old. He was the laughing stock of the whole Academy.

What's worse was the fact that he was an Arc. A family dynasty lasting as long as the kingdom stood, fighting against all sorts of threats the galaxy had for the planet. From small bands of pirates to hordes of bloodthirsty Mandalorians, the Arc family stood the test of time with each passing generation of warriors.

But Jaune. He was always the odd one out. Unlike most of his battle-hardened family, he was nothing more than a softie, not eager to participate in battle and stay in the side-lines to wait until the conflict is over. However, the duty of the family's chosen soldier was an honour too great to refuse. Even though his father actually allowed him the chance to withdraw and pass it on to someone else, Jaune didn't want to disrespect the ongoing family tradition. He didn't want to be the first Arc to step down and pass the torch to another member of the family. At the time, he felt like he needed to step up to the plate. So, in the end, he ended up entering the fray and did his best to train for the family name.

So far, nothing was really going his way.

Once he was done with the showers, he was going to his locker, packing up before going back to his quarters for a good night's sleep. Before that, he decided to get a good view of the city skies from behind the window. He could see dusk coming to devour whatever sunlight was left before enveloping the land in darkness with the bleak sight of the Moon of Patch just beyond the horizon. He just looked on, daydreaming while aimlessly watching the lanes of hovering traffic criss-cross over the city in an orderly fashion, filled with activity almost like a mini-Coruscant.

But the serenity was about to be shattered…

Suddenly, Jaune felt a powerful tug at his legs, pulling him down to the floor and dragging him back.

"Argh!" When he was down on the ground lying on his back, he could see the terror of the room right above him.

"Hey, Arc!" Three taller and stronger men, all dressed in their battle uniforms. One of them held Jaune by the legs and began to laugh evilly at the poor man. These three men must had seen him as such a pitiful student in the Academy that he was to become the example of a weak little man unable to be strong himself. They had been picking on him ever since they joined in, and they were only four semesters away from Jaune when he first got in. It was really an embarrassing moment for the young Arc, repeated over the course of his fourth term.

"H-hey, Cardin!" The helpless Jaune found himself unable to fight back, desperate to suck up to the three bullies. "So, uh… Lovely day today, huh?" There was no remorse. The bad batch was already about to give him a rough time.

"Yep! Lovely, alright." They kept on dragging him across the floor towards an uncertain fate. For Jaune, though, no matter what they had in store for him, it was all the same to him. He was not going to enjoy it any less. He was going to either be hung above the assembly hall tied to a ceiling lamp with rope or string wrapped tight around his legs, leaving him dangling helplessly, or another round as a firing squad throwing more of those disgusting foam bombs at him.

Not this time… There was going to be something new today. As it turned out, the three boys decided to change things up with a new little sport for Jaune. They dragged him all the way to a small fighting arena not far from the locker room. With no one using the room nor were there any service droids sent to clean the place, it was the perfect setup for the trio to set down their target and made him stay there, sat down on the floor and left behind for the three other soldiers to walk off into another room.

Jaune just stayed still. He grew very afraid about what he was going to suffer from this time. His whole body was wrapped around by more rope, which restricted his movement and thus, any attempt to escape was futile. He wasn't sure what to expect today. Would it be any worse than what he was already used to? Did Cardin and his boys find a more humiliating game to torture him in? Just what was he getting himself into now?

Just then, the door opened up again and Jaune saw what the three boys were bringing in for the 'fun'. His eyes were shot wide open when he saw what they brought with them; a terrifying he was so hoping he wasn't going to face… **ever**!

In their hands, they carried a box with a caged door. The container itself was shaking sporadically accompanied by the irritating sounds of high-pitched growls. Jaune knew what was in the box all too well and the thought completely turned him into a pale husk of nothingness with his soul now practically racing to get out of his body.

"No! NO!" he screamed, earning more satisfaction for Cardin and his gang. "Anything but that!"

"That's right, Jauney-boy!" Cardin bellowed. "A mad pack of hungry womp-rats ravaging for the feast!" The leader of the trio clutched the lid of the box to release the vermin that shall attempt to attack anything that got in the way of the starving pack. "And just to let you know, they haven't been eating in a week!"

And after that, with one pull of the lid, a small swarm of seven womp-rats scattered right out of the box and right towards Jaune, tiny jaws clamping rapidly and ready to gnaw into Jaune's flesh. Jaune held in the urge to scream, willing to do all he could to endure the pain of a thousand nibbles of the rats as they were about to scamper all over him. He wasn't going to cower in the faces of the three stronger men. He was going to…

"AAHHH!" Forget it, time to scream!

"Man, what a loser…" The fun was over, ending with a loud messy chorus of cackles and grunts of a bunch of victorious cadets just having had their fun harassing Jaune. The helpless cadet was left to slowly descend deeper into hopelessness as his ravaged body, full of bite marks and dried up womp-rat saliva, shivered in pain.

The rats were put back in their cage, but the cadet was still experiencing hallucinations of the rodents constantly biting into him one by one. The tortuous ten minutes felt like an eternity and no one was there to free him from his suffering. It eventually ended, but Jaune did not get over the punishment.

He was so traumatized; he couldn't move a single muscle. There was only so much he could take and he was unable to save himself from the attack of the little biters trying to eat him alive. Cardin's group let him live, but Jaune knew it was only for the fact that he would live to be tortured another day.

Jaune was broken by the amount of troubles he had gotten into while being trained in the Academy, and after today, he was already at the point where he questioned his existence here. It was just not working out for him and he was already thinking of a solution to his endless loop of problems and repeated failures. But for now, he had to let the wounds he had suffered heal before he would make his move to finally find a better path to his fate. It was time to make a call, once he was finished getting treated of his wounds.

* * *

Jaune soon left the training building and headed over to a small lobby just past the vast garden of serenity and artistic value of Vale's appreciation for nature and the living beauty of its world. A few recruits would come to this small chamber to make short and timed calls via holo-transmissions to loved ones all across the known galaxy.

Jaune had one person in mind to call about his growing predicament in the Academy. He came across a booth where he could find some privacy in his call without anyone listening in, especially Cardin. He had already made sure that someone he trusted was watching over to ensure that those troublemakers weren't around.

After entering the booth, he dialled in the numbers to initiate the holographic call. The machine he used had a projector orb stuck on top and a set of buttons arranged within a rectangular frame where he pressed in a pattern to reach the person in mind. Someone he had to call upon when his journey to fulfil his destiny was being clogged by doubt. Once the call was set, he waited and waited for it to be answered. Soon, the three-dimensional image of his respondent was projected, revealing a figure of hope he always loved to see in his otherwise strict time in the Academy.

"Hey, dad." Jaune called.

"Son!" The old man with the beard of blonde hair and a demeanour of pride and charisma, answered with a bright smile. "I knew you'd call! How's my boy doing so far?" Jaune only sighed, not wanting to disappoint his own father about his doubts of joining the Royal Army. He couldn't lie to him either. It was not like Jaune to even try to fib to his father, wanting him to not worry about his time here and not think that he had failed him. He was always told to be honest and to stand tall in the face of concern and reluctance, so he was going to tell his father exactly what was bothering him.

"Not good, dad." admitted the son, sighing out his sadness.

"Took a beating in the mud course again, huh?" But it was almost always too obvious to his dad. The old man could see it in his boy. A man who had nothing to be proud of. A soldier who had hit the bottom of the pit of doubt.

"I don't know, dad." continued Jaune. He let his whole heart out as he told his father of his inability to progress further into prominence, feeling that his service to the family had been tarnished by his lack of development in training.

"I'm just… not sure if I'm even meant to honour the family name. I've been flunking out of many subjects in the Academy, humiliated myself in front of my officers and getting foam blasted at me for more than a year now. If I'm still struggling on square one, then what use am I to you and the family?" All the while, Jaune's father listened to every word Jaune had to say with care and diligence, watching his son become more and more let down of himself and ashamed of what he was becoming.

"I've let you down." Jaune finally finished, lowering his head in shame for being unfit to fulfil his father's and his whole family's legacy. He was already far behind to even step up and take charge of the battles to come, stuck in training where everyone of different generations would look at him as a prime example of failure. He was waiting for his father to tell him of what he thought of his son's position. Was he going to accept his son as a failure and help him out of his misery, or was he going to rebuke him for being a shameful let-down for his family? Jaune could not look up to see his own father give him the judgement he so needed to hear.

"Son…" His father said to him. "I understand you feel very conflicted by your failures." His voice was filled with understanding, something that Jaune really liked about his father. However, he was still unsure if his father really meant what he said, which was why he was going to listen with heart. "But you cannot let that push you down. You're not alone, son. Many Arcs before you had their own encounters with failure every once in a while."

"Yeah, but I'm sure none of them failed at an obstacle course over and over again." Jaune continued to make himself humbler with his humiliation.

"Even so, you need to remain strong and determined. Keep yourself up and push forward. Learn from your mistakes and come back with a victory!" But his father never gave up on him. He was sure that Jaune would go on to do great things, no matter what his profession would be in the future. As an Arc, he had to embrace the life of tough hardships and come out strong and powerful. Jaune wasn't sure if he could keep his word, but he felt that an Arc has to embrace the life of a soldier to fight for the family name. Soon, from his father's motivational words, he was sure that he just needed the encouragement to move on and feel better about himself to move on and fight harder.

"Remember, son." his father reminded him. "You know who you are?" Afterwards, finally, Jaune gave his dad a knowing smile to reassure him of his hope.

"Yeah, dad. Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue, ladies love it." With pride, Jaune called upon himself to be reminded of who he was, making his father happier in the process.

"That's my boy." he said cheerfully. With the time per call now coming to an end, Jaune's father knew he had to end the conversation there, sure that he was able to snap some sense to his son. "Now, take care, son." Jaune was about to press the button to end the call when his father said a few more words. "Oh, and by the way…" He listened in, finger almost close to the button.

"May the Force be with you." Jaune smiled at his words, faithful that his dad had a lot of love for him.

"You too, dad." Finally, Jaune gave his dad one final salute before deactivating the communications machine and shut down the holographic call. Jaune's spirits were lifted again, but if his past experiences taught him anything, there was going to be a lot more work before he could finally fulfil his goals.

He exited the communications lobby to return to the central garden hall of the Academy, looking at the statue of the two warriors who helped make Vale rise to galactic prominence; one wearing combat armour and wearing a cape with the symbol of the Republic proud and strong, and the other behind him wielding a long energy sword backing up the first warrior. A commemoration of two of Vale's greatest champions; a soldier of the Royal Army backed by the Jedi Master said to be the very first in the Remnant System.

When Jaune stepped down the steps, he caught sight of the person who guarded his entry into the lobby. A trusted friend, one of few of the younger generation who had gained his friendship.

"Hey, Kormal." Jaune called his friend. The Bothan cadet with his dog-like ears and broad snout, turned around to meet Jaune face to face. They soon exchanged fist-bumps as a sign of thanks from Jaune. "Thanks for watching out for me."

"No problem, Jaune." The younger junior spoke eagerly. "Just making sure no one's out to smother you with slime again."

"Can we please skip that subject?" Jaune nonchalantly brushed the horrid memory away, which Kormal agreed on his behalf. He was one heck of a kid. He was quite competent in his training, like so many of Jaune's other friends who left the Academy semesters before. So, Jaune wouldn't be surprised if Kormal would be able to graduate without him too. The younger cadet from Bothawui was well aware of Jaune's lack of progress in the Academy, but he never found any reason to belittle him for his slow run and instead, believed that Jaune would come out on top someday.

"So? You and your dad all cool?" asked Kormal.

"Of course." answered Jaune with a smile. "He just told me to keep going and remain strong as always."

"Dude. We always tell you the same thing. Even the Captain did." Kormal stated to Jaune, but Jaune just rolled his eyes when thinking about his biggest critic to his weakness.

"So, did Cardin stop by or something?" wondered Jaune.

"Nope. Haven't seen that son of a Hutt and his boys anywhere." assured Kormal. "You're in the clear."

 **BBRRRIINNNGGG!**

 _ ***Attention, cadets of Division 7345! You are to report to the orientation arena immediately for a special course!***_

Jaune sighed. The voice calling out to him and Kormal from the loudspeaker was sudden, but the blonde boy had to expect such rigorous sessions to happen like this. He might as well just go along with it and hopefully find some miracle for him to prevail.

"Oh boy. Here we go again." He shook his head and took Kormal with him to the orientation arena to whatever the captain might have for him, his Bothan friend and… ugh… Cardin.

* * *

As it so happened, Jaune wasn't the only one having another special session today. Someone else was going to arrive at the Academy to start another brewing step to the path of war.

The Academy had a few landing platforms to house in the many Bulldog transports for troop deployment, but one was left empty and unattended. It was as if the platform was being used to provide the grounds for someone special. Indeed, the people heading for the platform right now were of the highest of authority in the Academy.

It was a group of four men. The man leading the group wore a military uniform consisting of a crimson pair of pants and another crimson blazer decorated with honorary dressings. The badge stuck to his blazer confirmed his status as an Admiral in the Army, Age had definitely caught up with him as his white long facial hair grew in a sophisticated manner, along with his eyes which were squinted with wrinkles underneath them. But he was still a proud man as seen with his straight posture and hands behind his back.

The other three men following him were the captain of Jaune's division and two more elite soldiers wearing heavy armour and iron helmets with the distinctive crescent-shaped crests attached on the top. These were most probably elite guards from their extravagant armour and the way they marched on both sides of the captain.

The group walked forward and stopped at the outer floor ring panels of the platform where they were awaiting the arrival of a very important guest to the Academy. Away in the bright skies of Vale, they could see an airship decorated in colours of gold and red coming towards the landing site, hovering over with four engines flipped with the propulsion boosted towards the ground to slow the craft down as it landed closer to the platform. It then fired up more power to its boosters to finally come to a stop before deploying its landing gear and touching down safely in the centre of the platform. The ship then landed, giving itself time to cool off and open down its boarding ramp. From out of the transport to be greeted by the men below, there she was. A female soldier descended down, fitted with combat armour and walked down with firm formality.

The woman had red hair worn into a ponytail and brushed back with a golden crown on her head. Her armour was made of steel of dark grey with a maroon undershirt worn underneath it, complete with golden shoulder pads, maroon combat gloves and grey tight pants. The right side of her green eyes was protected by an electronic visor lens, which added to her awesome appearance. Behind her, attached to a sash around her right arm, was her weapon. A long heavy sniper rifle built with two laser scopes; one snapped at the barrel and another at the main body. For many others, soldiers holding such a sniper rifle, specifically called the DC-17s sniper rifle, were considered to be the top of their class and this soldier appeared to be no exception. She was indeed a very high-classed soldier worthy of the highest attention, as so it seemed.

"Ah!" The flamboyant Admiral bellowed in a welcoming chuckle, sounding like some mad king in a brilliant mood. "Miss Nikos! It is finally an honour to see you again!"

"Greetings, Admiral Port." The red-haired soldier bowed her head as she addressed the old man. "So, are we ready to see the men and women being sent off to join the fight?"

"Certainly! Right this way!" Admiral Port gestured to lead Pyrrha Nikos to her destination. She joined the rest of the men as they headed into the building to kick-start a day of much needed promises and expectations.

"As you might know, our new recruits up for selection are locked and loaded for you to pick out for your new combat assistant system, Miss Nikos." announced the admiral along the way. "All of them are trained to their fullest potential by none other than Captain Soroleck walking with us today." Port then showed his hand at the other military leader next to Pyrrha, who humbly nodded to the admiral's acknowledgement of his service to the Academy.

"I assure you that my men would not let you down, Commander Nikos." the captain obliged. However, as he did so, he moved his head to the side, like he was unsatisfied with something, unknown to the company he was with. Truth be told, there was a little problem regarding the regiment he was tasked to train for Pyrrha.

"Then I look forward to seeing them in action." cheered Pyrrha with formality, choosing to remain respectful to the older men while keeping her optimism up. Then, Admiral Port decided to follow along the train of hope with a little something to make the moment 'lively'.

"Such a wonderful event. This reminds me of a little story of mine." he began, not knowing that the three men were actually groaning behind him. Pyrrha wasn't sure what they were complaining about, but she had the feeling it wasn't going to be good. "There I was, entering that little backwater canyon at the Carrion Spike with Captain Tarkin, surrounded by vicious beasts and…"

As Admiral Port went on and on, Pyrrha was looking around the Academy of Vale. She was in awe of the marvellous architecture and the size of the entire building she was in. How the interior looked so modern and yet it blended in so beautifully with some of the vegetation growing in small gardens and dangling vines with blossoming flowers over the white and silver walls and more. This was her first time in the Royal Academy in Vale, having spent most of her training and exploration in her own school back in Mistral. However, she was so distracted by how impressive the place looked that she began to stroll aimlessly away from her present company and was soon walking on her own.

As she walked on, she was simply unaware of the amount of attention she was getting from everyone around her vicinity. Either it was because of her absolute beauty by most of the guys or it was because of her awesome image with her armour and the weapon behind her back, letting everyone know that she was exceptionally experienced with special operations. In fact, it was mostly because of what they do know about her, as the fabled 'Pyrrha Nikos, the Invincible Knight of Anima'.

Her reputation was clearly made known to everyone in the Academy, with the tales of her early deployment to battle in the two years leading up to the current war. Basically just a few skirmishes involving small insurgent groups, pirates and the infamous Snow Raiders haunting the cities of Solitas. She even went as far as Cato Neimodia to repulse an all-out crime war between the government and the Pike Syndicate. Everywhere she went, she had gained victory after victory against her enemies. Whether they were easy scuffles or tumultuous battles, it was all the same for Pyrrha. Her intelligence and strategic mind paving the way for her fellow soldiers to bulldoze right through the enemy. Her aim with the rifle behind her being the most precise of her class proving to be the deadliest asset of the Mistral Army Corps. But most of all was her undying care for her fellow soldiers that helped to push them forward and win with high spirits, or fall back with optimism and hope. She was truly a legend worthy of fame anywhere she went.

Almost anyone would want to be on her side and fight for the glory of their respective worlds. And it was today when one lucky trainee at Vale was going to have the chance to do so. Of all the Academies in Remnant, she chose Vale for its valour and importance on honour and respect. Most of the trainees in the Academy were quite jealous, knowing that there was only one group of people who was going to prove what they got, and it wasn't going to be them.

They were sure Pyrrha was going to select the most powerful and the strongest among the Academy's best. However, none of them were aware of what Pyrrha really wanted to find in her potential partner-to-be.

Suddenly, her thoughts were soon interrupted when she blindly hit something along the way.

"AAAH!" She heard what sounded like a high-pitched squeal that came off as slightly feminine. She herself took the fall as well and tumbled to the ground. When she was on the floor, she withstood the pressure of the crash-landing behind her, rubbing it gently to soothe the pain. Once she was done, she immediately had her eyes set on the other person she crashed into.

"Oh!" she gasped. "I'm sorry!" She apologetically moaned in guilt, rushing over to help the person up. She lent him her hand and helped him up. As the young man was hoisted up, she could see the pained look on his face. From there, she took a good look at him and seemed to have some form of... intrigue?

"It's no problem." The man had no hard feelings, revealing himself to be a blonde-haired cadet who also happened to be quite sorry about bumping into Pyrrha. "I… uh… tend to get very clumsy anyway." He rubbed his head from the slight banging in his head.

"I see." After finally letting go of the man's hand, Pyrrha soon dusted herself while the man took the time to introduce himself in case his accident had bothered her.

"By the way, the name's Jaune." he said. Pyrrha gave him a kind smile before giving him her own name back.

"Pyrrha." She reached her hand out for Jaune to shake, finally putting the almost awkward moment from the crash to rest. The two fell a little silent after a while, unsure of what to say given that both of them must have had not much of an experience bonding with others. For Jaune, he was lucky to have met some people, but for Pyrrha, it was a different case.

"So… uh? Pyrrha. What brings you here?" asked Jaune, making an effort at last.

"Oh. I am…" But just as Pyrrha was about to answer his question, a loud cry came from out of nowhere, nearly giving the boy another heart attack.

"Arc! Get over here!" Jaune took a sharp turn to find that one of the training instructors was calling out to him from afar behind a door panel with a strict look on his face. Jaune fell in a panic and was about to move out and meet up with the instructor. Before that, he turned around and bid a rushed farewell to Pyrrha.

"I… got to go!" he stuttered before rushing off to some special routine the Academy was holding for him and the other cadets in his semester. "See ya around, I guess." Jaune soon ran off towards the door to address his presence to the instructor before being pushed into the room. Pyrrha just watched on, unable to say anything and stared at the sight of the clumsy cadet speed off into the distance.

"Well, that's a first." she uttered to herself with some weird feeling digging in that she somehow felt very pleased with. For some reason, Jaune did something that no one else had ever done for her in a very long time since…

"Miss Nikos!" Suddenly, the loud welcome shout of Admiral Port came from behind her. She quickly turned around and saw the four men she was accompanied by earlier coming towards her. "I hope you didn't get lost so quickly. This Academy does seem titanic, doesn't it?"

"Quite the contrary, Admiral." Pyrrha smiled, assuring the Admiral that she didn't have any trouble at all. She then spoke to herself quietly without anyone hearing her. "I just found something… quite interesting."

"Well, we're glad you feel that way." laughed Admiral Port, clearly referring to her first audible sentence. "Now, come! The orientation awaits!" The group restarted their path to the event at hands, but Pyrrha could not set her thoughts away from her encounter with the young Arc. She was unsure of what to fully make of it, but something told her that things were about to get very interesting.

"Arc." she whispered in thought. "He must be one special man."

* * *

Pyrrha and the other men were already getting themselves situated in a small viewing room. It was a nice-looking room with white walls painted with golden lines that formed several symbols with blue crystal-like ornaments stuck within the largest spaces of each symbol. Everyone all sat accordingly across a long chair where they could see through the viewing glass. Pyrrha could view that the scene was happening below her with the room itself being built over a large arena, almost the size of an actual battlefield being levelled down into the floor in a wide open trench. The dug in area was painted in complete black with a grid pattern of green all over the place, making it into a digitized setting. On both sides of the training field, there were two large structures. On the left side of the spectators, a small bunker-like entrance-way was built with an elevated platform protected by a few small walls. Opposite the entrance, a tower filled with fortifications and barricades outside, complete with a flag fluttering over a pedestal behind all of the defences. Right in between the two sides, barricades were placed, using roadblocks and crates to add things up for a heck of a match.

This looked to be capture-the-flag scenario; an event that Pyrrha was all too familiar with back home at Mistral. This had to be one of her favourite courses there, so it would seem that the Royal Academy of Vale had launched an event of the same rules just for her liking. Fortunately, it was working with Pyrrha being all enthusiastic about what to expect and what surprises might unfold in this anticipating event. The adrenaline-pumping action of facing a barrage of training droids firing their weapons towards her and her fellow cadets. It was all a test to flush out her agility and intelligence, leading her teammates to reach the flag and detach it from its pedestal. She enjoyed every last bit of it.

While everyone was about to witness the spectacle, Captain Soroleck began to address to everyone present of the details of what was to come from this grand event in the young Nikos' honour. He cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention before facing them with his announcement.

"Welcome everyone." he greeted the crowd. "On behalf of the Royal Academy of Vale and the Grand Army of the Republic, I hereby declare that the Trials of Partnership Program have officially begun." Everyone clapped their hands in unison, applauding the appreciative opening of the event with dignity. "As you all know; Miss Pyrrha Nikos of Mistral Academy has been gracious enough to choose our Academy as the proving grounds to find the one individual who shall accompany her in battle upon the recent Separatist threat." The captain's speech continued to arouse good will from those present in the room. Pyrrha, however, just wanted the match to start so she could finally find someone who could join her in battle. She wondered to herself about what kind of soldier could she look for when it came to raw yet tested recruits here in Vale.

For all she knew, the military of Vale was more focused on morality and patriotism, as opposed to her own soldiers of Anima, who were trained with more economic or spiritual motives, not on par with Solitas since the planet was mainly agricultural than industrial. She was among many individuals trained to believe in a higher power that watched over her as she progressed through harsh conditions. It was almost as if Mistral's troops were trained to believe in the ways of the Force. In a way, that could be true, but they were not capable of using the Force itself like the Jedi do. Rather, it was more of a spiritual connection, allowing such mystical powers to watch over and guide and not be tools to fuel one's abilities. Eventually, many of Mistral's troops would eventually take up beliefs in the Force as a way to motivate the mind and energize the body; a psychological boost of self-power.

Pyrrha herself believed in the Force as much as any other, and that all of her abilities in combat were merely the result of focused training through concentration and practice, not brute strength and rigid workouts as many were led to believe. What her body would become didn't really matter other than the essential measures necessary for battle. It was all about the mind and heart of an individual that is the core of a soldier. In many ways, she could learn to become very close to the soldiers of Vale for their similar taste for the more mental or spiritual aspects of battle.

After a brief analysis with her own self-assessment, she made her choice on the type of person who should be made as her comrade. He or she had to be very passionate. Loyal till the end. To value others over oneself. That was her major expectations of her potential candidates and she was going to see if the chosen individuals down on the field had what it took.

Soon, the captain turned around and prepared his microphone to speak up to the trainees waiting to be tested. Once he was waiting for them to come out, Pyrrha, too, kept her eyes on the doorway down below, awaiting the arrival of the recruits she was about to assess and confirm to be her rightful partner for the war ahead.

As Jaune prepared himself for another hazardous day of brutal beat-downs and possible suffering, he was getting dressed for the occasion; his battle armour and gear ready for action. He sighed to himself while he suited up, knowing that he was going to end up in another hectic let-down. But he remained hopeful, still holding onto to faith for his eventual succession from academy grounds and towards the ultimate test of courage ahead.

He finished up with his armour and prepared to move out. However, what he found to be very conspicuous was another piece of equipment he found alongside his usual attire. His weapons, set to the harmless training mode, consisted of a normal blaster constructed by Regan Arms of Vale as well as a portable shield forged from the very armouries of his family's blacksmiths. It was made in the shape of its traditional shield shape; three points on the top coming down into one larger point below, and cut with a small view port for Jaune's vision amidst blocking off enemy attacks.

It was a helmet. Silver all over with a blue crystal-like ornament stuck into the forehead area and a glass visor that would cover the eyes of its wearer. Jaune instantly recognized this as the official battle helmet for the Royal Army of Vale. He didn't know why this was doing in his equipment, other than the fact that he was going to be part of some special course. He looked around to find that everyone else also had the same helmets. He saw Kormal actually putting it on. So, Jaune decided to put on the helmet, placing it onto his head to protect himself from what might lie ahead. He picked up his weapons and made sure they were ready for action.

 **THUK!**

"DRGH!" Unfortunately, he could not defend himself from what laid **behind** …

"HAHAHAHA!" Once again, Cardin Winchester and his posse just couldn't lose the opportunity to cackle at Jaune's misfortune. The bigger human whacked the Arc by the back of his head. The weight of the helmet pushed Jaune further, almost causing him to fall down. Even as he managed to stick the landing, it was a rather clumsy and amusing tumble, much to Cardin's gang's entertainment. "Even with that thing on, you're still such a dweeb."

"Yeah. You think you've got the stuff to wear that helmet, Arc?" taunted the other human. "Sucks to suck, loser!"

" _Like that helmet's gonna do him good anyway._ "added the Rodian in Huttese.

"Come on, boys." Cardin gathered his men together before giving another harsh push to Jaune's back. "Let's leave Jauney to his fate. He's gonna get wrecked on a very special day!" The trio then laughed their hearts out, fully satisfied with their attack on Jaune. He could not feel any better with the treatment he received, though he could accept the fact that he was getting used to it by now. His faithful Bothan friend came over to assist him.

"You okay, Jaune?" asked Kormal as he lifted Jaune back to his feet.

"I've been better." Jaune groaned sarcastically.

"Don't worry, pal." assured Kormal. "I'm sure Cardin will have his punishment here. Seems the course ahead might be our toughest yet, as far as I've heard from the captain." But Jaune could not find it any more comfortable than he liked.

"Yeah, but if Cardin can't make it, and you can't too, then what chance do **I** have?" The doubt he was feeling was more than he could take, forcing even Kormal to not say more but hold onto hope that this round of challenging feats would eventually get them higher than before.

Jaune and Kormal both walked towards the door that would lead them to the elevator and into the training arena. As they gathered, they were forced to gather up with Cardin and his ganh. The three despicable teens kept cold and mischievous glares at the Arc and his Bothan friend, but they knew well enough to not do anything, especially since the instructor was at the elevator controls ready to lift them up to the stage.

With a push of the button, the elevator soon began to move upwards, sending the five recruits to an almost uncertain fate…

"Here we go…" Jaune held onto his training blaster, gripping it tight and praying to the Force that he would make it out with the victory he always craved for.

The elevator soon led the five men to the large grid-walled battle arena where they came out of a smaller entrance way facing the towering citadel of defences. They all paraded towards their starting point at the elevation where they would be protected by a ringed set of barricades. They all took a good look at the very end of the field and saw what they needed to see.

Yep, Jaune thought in dread. It was going to be Capture-the-Flag again… His absolute worst…

 _ ***Alright, you scumbags!***_ And if that wasn't pestering enough, there went the loud booming voice of Captain Soroleck echoing throughout the room. _ ***You might be wondering why you've been sent here. Well, it's time you boys find out for yourselves and see if you have what it takes to race to the end of the course and reach the flag! If you sissies think you can make it, then you'd be lucky enough to catch the attention of one very special guest.***_

Everyone was now wide-eyed after the mention of a 'special guest' within the arena. They marvelled at the idea that they would perform in the arena under the watchful eye of a person so revered. They wondered who it was that could be so willing to see them brave the 'dangers' of the battle ahead.

When said person was called upon, she soon got up from her chair and walked forward to the viewing glass for all to see. Once in sight, she could see the five cadets all standing at attention for what was to come of this exciting match. All of them were alreadyw earing their battle helmets, so she couldn't see who their real faces.

However, everyone down below could see hers very well. To mostly everyone's surprise, it was the face of a champion that they never thought they'd be lucky to see here.

"Hey, isn't that?" The human cadet of Cardin's gang spoke up, not believing what he was seeing up at the viewing room.

" _Oh my Corellian stardust!_ " The Rodian cadet yelled in surprise. " _That's her!_ "

"Awesome!" Kormal then shouted himself.

"Dude. This is like… our chance to prove ourselves to the beauty herself!" Cardin proudly boasted, surely awed by the sheer beauty and power of the famed soldier before him.

Pyrrha could see the excitement out of every cadet in the field, filling her with praise and thankfulness. Everyone…

Except one…

"Wow. Everyone sure seems to like her." Unfortunately, much to Kormal's bewilderment, one Jaune Arc was just looking up at Pyrrha, sounding like he didn't know the hero!

"Are you kidding me, Jaune?!" exclaimed Kormal, but not loud enough for Cardin and the others to hear. Jaune just turned his head slowly, unsure what to make of Kormal's confusion.

"What?" He pondered to his friend, in a voice so soft and so calm, it almost came to the Bothan as simply clueless.

"Don't you know who that is?!" Kormal could not believe how Jaune was thinking about the presence of Pyrrha in the Academy. How could Jaune be unaware of the achievements of such a powerful and legendary soldier?! Surely, he could have stumbled upon some mention, right?! "That is Pyrrha Nikos! **The** Pyrrha Nikos!"

"Yeah." Apparently, Jaune was as dense as cortosis. "So?"

" **So**?! She's a freakin' legend! How could you not know the hero who defeated the Tyorian Confederation?" The bewildered Bothan could not do much to snap Jaune's memory, if he ever had one of Pyrrha, but he did let Jaune see some pride in his earlier encounter with the Animan commando.

"Wow." he whispered with amazement. "Is she really that great?" He could never have guessed that he came face-to-face with a soldier of famous status and now he was going to show her what he was capable of.

Of course, that meant that he was going to be the laughing stock of the course. He believed he was going to fail miserably yet again and all within the presence of a famous soldier in their midst. His confidence had lowered, dropped like a lightning bolt down to the ground; instant and steep. If Pyrrha was to see him slip up and tumble, he was not going to like what she might think of him, let alone like what the captain and Admiral Port would too.

 _ ***Alright! Enough lollygagging!***_ Captain Soroleck screamed through the loudspeakers, snapping everyone else out of their thoughts about their guest. _***Prepare yourselves! Load up and get ready!***_

The cadets all stopped what they were thinking about and moved to position ready to advance and show Pyrrha what the soldiers of Vale could do in battle. As they lined up, a low yet loud mechanical chorus of clanking noises was heard coming from all the way from the other side. They could see that, from the citadel emerged a battalion of B1 battle droids marching in sync towards their stations, drawing in excitement from all except Jaune, of course. These droids would had been posed a more formidable threat if they were armed with blasters set to kill instead of the compulsory stun mode. Nevertheless, the cadets had to anticipate full results. They had to race through and take the flag off its place without getting shot.

Captain Soroleck had his datapad in his hand, monitoring each of the team member's health readings, all marked by a red line. He didn't need to remind the team of what to do; they had been doing this for a long while now; Jaune obviously longer. He just needed to keep the men in check while also demonstrating their proficiency in the field to Pyrrha, so she could finalize who to pick in the end.

"Captain." Pyrrha called. "Wouldn't it be best to announce the cadets of what I wish from them?"

"For the record, Commander, I rather have the men just demonstrate their skills in battle without being pushed forward by an intriguing incentive, especially for someone of your calibre." explained the captain. "Besides, we can't ruin a good surprise without a little… ahem… struggle to earn your trust, can we now?" Pyrrha had no argument with the captain and respected his decision, bowing politely before being seated back down to watch the fight happen. With the preparations in place, the captain motioned his finger steadily to press the button and initiate the session to start.

Everyone checked their blasters before they could stand at the ready, each with their own preferences. Then, as soon as the training droids took their positions, the time had come to finally begin the presentation. Once Captain Soroleck pressed on the button, the battle had begun.

 **BWARRMMM!**


	6. Jaune & Pyrrha: Quest for Greatness P2

**A/N~ And here's the second part. I'm currently trying to write the next chapter and it is based on a very obscure part of Star Wars lore, so I'm hoping it'll make sense for the characters there.**

 **Reviews:**

 **aleyuma98: Thanks man! Well, it's too soon to tell, so we'll have to wait and see if I can end the story in the right direction. For now, it's going to be solely based on the Clone Wars. Also thanks for the likes!**

 **And, we also have Darthrob338, TheBigYangTheory (I see what you did there…), MichaelAllan4531, Elemental Medadragon God, Masterclassdragon500, FeartheKnown, KlonoaFan64 and Lloyd RPGFan for following the story as well. Thank you so much guys!**

* * *

 **Jaune and Pyrrha: The Quest for Greatness (Part 2)**

The alarm rang throughout the gigantic combat arena, signalling for the cadets to begin the presentation. As soon as the course had started, the battle droids all had their programming set and aimed towards the cadets on the other side. They let loose a heavy barrage of yellow laser fire. The cadets soon ran for cover, ducking down behind the barricades to shield them from incoming fire. They weren't real blaster fire, but once you get hit, you were one step closer to being eliminated, not to mention the projectiles still sting with a bad jolt of electricity striking in your body.

"Okay, Jaune." The blonde boy ducked down to a fetal position, panicking at the barrage of lasers zapping all above him. "You can do this. You can do this."

"Shut the hell up, Jauney!" Cardin could hear the Arc chattering to himself and was not liking it one bit. "Whislow! Cover me!" Cardin was the first to make his move, eager to impress Pyrrha above him. The other men couldn't really follow him given the intensive firepower, but they had to push up while there was still ground. Even Jaune, who after praying for himself, leapt up and pushed for cover.

The cadets ran for the next set of barricades at the front while Cardin's human friend stayed behind the starting point to provide covering fire with his blaster of choice. It was a heavy repeater, set to training mode, but he was willing to shred some training droids down with the immense firepower of his rapid-firing beauty. He set his weapon on the barricade with the weapon's bipod and let rip the repeating blaze of firepower across the field. The chain of lasers raced right for the other side, threatening to destroy any droid that was unfortunate enough to get hit. The immediate response for the droids was to disperse as well, but since B1's were never known for their agility or reflexes of any kind, they were very wonky and slow with their movements.

Meanwhile, as the droids were being suppressed, the cadets all spread out across the field. Cardin and the Rodian ran for the right side, Jaune and Kormal to the left. The Arc and the Bothan both scurried to the very end of the field just as blaster fire was already onto them. They huddled up their backs against the wall while they were being pelleted.

"Okay. This is getting a little too close for my comfort." stated Kormal, panting from his dastardly sprint between covers. "You remember what needs to be done, right?" He turned to face Jaune, who was still trying to compose himself from the blazing storm of lasers. The fear sustained from the enemy attack was all enough for him to fall into a state of encumbering panic. He did his best to remember what he was to do when faced with such adversity in the face of unforeseeable odds.

"Got it." he said with hesitance. "Be the mobile cover." At once, Jaune pulled out the shield from his back and placed it down on the ground. He was going to provide some backup for Kormal as they would make their way towards the objective. Behind his protective tool, Jaune took a deep breath and walked away from the wall and into the frenzy.

The droids soon opened fire on the shielded cadet down below. The lasers started to rain down towards Jaune, but his shield was already doing the work on blocking off their shots. Blast after blast, Jaune reflected each shot while holding on from the amount of continuous recoil from each shot. Kormal wasted no time and hid behind Jaune to shoot down any droids behind the protection of the shield.

Jaune's protection allowed Kormal to slowly creep forward and shoot down as many droids as he could and then crouch back down when the laser fire was at its most intense, back in the safety of Jaune's shield.

Despite the defensive advantage, Jaune was still getting very fidgety about the amount of pressure being put upon him. The fear of being shot at. It was getting to his head, slowly making lose control over his defence. Kormal seemed to notice this when a few of the blaster fire nearly hit him and Jaune. Not willing to get the both of them hit, he quickly grabbed him and pulled him back to another barricade, losing Jaune's burden of being a living wall. They were actually making some progress on the way to the flag, but not enough to seem effective. The two of them had to accept the fact that more was needed in order to proceed.

Meanwhile, Cardin was already gaining ground towards the flag. With his scattergun, the brutish Valese cadet rushed on, dodging the shots of the droids to get close to them. Once he was in range, he'd pull out the gun and make close-quarter sucker punches to each droid he saw, blasting them one-by-one before moving on. However, his Rodian buddy was not making much progress either, even with his trusty stun-gun. His job would had been to assist Cardin by disabling the droids with said weapon. It was just that Cardin was not giving him any chances to contribute and, thus, putting the Rodian in a very boring position behind the lines where his weapon was useless from long distances.

" _Cardin!_ " Bekto yelled at the bigger human to get him to fall back and act like a real team player. " _Stick together, man!_ " Not so surprising, Winchester had other ideas. He was not going let some weak little teammate slow him down to glory. He was going to show his crowd, and especially the most esteemed guest of all, what he was capable of doing and more. Such was the prideful strength of the Winchester family. Always look out for yourself and be the strongest out there. A champion's path to ascend to greatness was to be the one who decides the victory point. For Cardin, that meant getting the flag was his chance at proving to the galaxy that he was going to end the war as soon as it started. So, the faster he went through this, the better.

"Not a chance, bucko!" He spat back at his supposed teammate before continuing on, leaving Bekto to fend for himself under fire from all sides. Without a ranged weapon of any kind, he was practically useless and could get eliminated at any moment. Still, he refused to let himself be a failure or be the first one out of the ring. He was going to show them that he was just as capable of taking care of the job as anyone else. Again, except the loser, Arc of course…

* * *

"Well, Commander." Captain Soroleck kept his eye on the training course while the rest of the spectators continued to assess how the cadets performed in the course. Needless to say, he was not impressed. "I hope you're paying close attention to these punks, 'cos our system can push them to lengths unimaginable and produce the best results even you Animans can admire from. To see them go this far is something, alright."

Pyrrha looked closely at each soldier, inspecting each and every one of their sets of capabilities. She looked to the one cadet at the very back of the formation, staying behind to provide cover fire. While it did look like he was giving his comrades the suppression needed, he was actually trying to legitimately hit his targets. He was so focused on landing shots at his targets without even thinking about the men in front. His lack of contribution to the team only made things worse for the others as the droids would have better odds than the cadets.

Then, there was the Rodian, Bekto. He was tailing Cardin throughout the entire trek of the course while the human was shooting down all the droids. Pyrrha recognized the weapon he was holding as a stun-gun, lethal only to droids. Perhaps this could had given the team a better chance at scoring shots. The only trouble was that the blaster fire was rendering the Rodian unable to peek over and fire back. Supposedly, he'd have Cardin to back him up, but the Rodian was simply left behind by the proud Winchester that he was now left defenceless against the enemy, unable to properly adjust himself without any backup.

Speaking about Cardin, the cadet did have an admirable amount of strength, with the pride to match. He was really brave, unafraid to take the enemy head on and eventually gain the upper hand with his aim of the scattergun. He seemed very oppressive against his enemy, not giving them any time to react to his speed and rough endurance against the odds. Even Pyrrha had to admit; he could actually prove to be quite the enforcer. Yet, even with all of the strength and successful hits, there was still one flaw that the young Nikos simply could not ignore. Winchester was a total glory hog. He was willing to put himself over others to see to his victory. It was already so obvious to Pyrrha and she wouldn't be surprised if everyone else in the room was aware of it as well.

Next, she turned to the other end of the field to see the two more closely tight duo of Jaune and Kormal. She could see that, compared to the three other cadets, these two were actually being more cooperative between one another. Jaune provided the cover for Kormal, and the Bothan in turn returned fire against the droids. They moved ever so slowly, braving the incoming barrage of enemy fire together. Unfortunately, they did not move on enough compared to Cardin. Then again, Pyrrha never bothered about how fast the course went. She was just evaluating a deeper aspect within the pair.

Kormal depended on Jaune's help to move forward, but he returned the favour by giving the human some fight back to the droids. He seemed to be a very loyal soldier, watching Jaune's front as Jaune did his back. He even had to pull Jaune to safety after some stumbling midway to the flag. And that led her to Jaune…

She noticed a sudden stop in his movement towards the flag, stepping back with shaking visible from afar, forcing the two cadets to retreat behind the barricade. Soon, as she paid close attention to Jaune, the boy was just staying down, not going up to move for a while. The cadet seemed reluctant to face the danger ahead, attached to his cover to keep him alive. Pyrrha felt a little unsure if he was fit to be sent to the battlefield, being a soldier who was sent here against his will and ability. The uncertainty of the cadet was going to be death of him if he was ever going to go into an actual conflict and he was already struggling in a training course of all places.

If only Pyrrha knew who the cadet was from underneath that helmet…

* * *

Jaune and Kormal were still pinned down behind the barricade right in front of the enemy. Cardin was still running towards the flag alone. Bekto was struggling to rush forward to catch up to Cardin with only his short-ranged stun gun against enemies further away from him. And Whislow was still trying to destroy the droids with his repeater rifle, firing spread shots with very little success. All in all, everyone was starting to become degraded in their performances.

Whislow kept on trying to snipe out the enemy, hoping to make things easier by reducing the enemy numbers instead of encumbering their firepower as intended. Some of the droids soon caught on and fired back at him, threatening to eliminate him early in the game. Whislow kept the trigger in and fired as much as he could. Unfortunately, no weapon had limitless power and he learnt it the hard way. After firing his volley of energy pellets, the weapon finally shut down after overheating. Whislow was too caught up with the suspense of battle that he couldn't think about cooling his weapon down, ramming the gun repeatedly fuelled by impatience and staying exposed while doing so. At a cost, he wasn't paying attention to the droids still shooting at him.

Eventually, while still venting his frustration on his gun, a stray shot soon struck him, knocking him in the head and stunning him with high intensity. The electricity shocked his entire body down, causing him to fall to the ground fidgeting from the impact. The shot could be powerful enough to knock him down for a long while. From above, Captain Soroleck saw the downfall of the cadet and immediately went to notify the team.

 _ ***Cadet Whislow has depleted his aura.***_ he announced to instil a response from the team. The term "aura" had been a very symbolic word for the people in Remnant, representing their life force. As such, for Remnant's academies, an artificial representation of one's aura was always made visible as red bars in inspection devices to indicate their energy counts, reduced when exposed to electrocuting energy. Once it was depleted, there was no more fight to be shown. This fake 'aura' only determined a soldier's stand in a course, very harmless. However, that still meant to bring a message that in a real battle, a soldier with no aura left in his or her system… was a dead one.

Without Whislow's suppression support, they were now about to face a lot more heat from the training droids. _***You runts better step up if you want to finally win a CTF for once!***_

The team was now met with a handicap; at least everyone except Cardin. Winchester continued to race up regardless of whether he had support or not. He was in it for the win and be the only one to reach the flag. Cardin sprinted forth, dodging the laser shots by shifting from side to side while also taking cover like a commando. His race for the flag was littered with the destroyed remains of the battle droids with the help of his scattergun.

He was already gaining so much ground that there was a huge gap between him and the other cadets. Eventually, after going hunting for a few seconds, he was already at the steps leading to the flag. All he had to do now was knock out the last few droids before grabbing the flag and gain the win. He hid against the base of the platform that would lead him to his objective. With an arrogant grin, Cardin felt that his victory was good as done, just too easy for him. The Academy could have come with better stuff than this amateur course.

 **BRRWM!**

All Cardin felt from his near win was a huge amount of shock to his body. Apparently, he was literally shot down by another droid who was just within range of his hiding spot. The strong cadet had already fallen too close to his objective, eliminated before he could reach for greatness. There was no time to feel humiliated now. His body was already shaking up really badly to feel anything.

Though, as much as Cardin would feel the ultimate shame from his defeat, Captain Soroleck and the crowd easily saw this as another case of over-reliance on self-pride and glory; that Cardin had fallen victim to his own arrogance. He took too long to bask in his own eminence to realize what was going on in reality. No use crying spilt milk, however. The captain had to inform that his team was once again down another member.

 _ ***Cardin Winchester has depleted his aura.***_ With two men down, the opportunity for a triumphant outcome was being snatched away even more this time. Jaune and Kormal were still hiding behind their barricade, now under heavier fire with the loss of two of their teammates. _***Come on, boys! Is this really the best you've got?! You cadets are an embarrassment!***_ A verbal beat-down by the captain certainly added fuel to the shame.

The pair was still being blasted upon and Jaune wouldn't dare to move out and resume the shield manoeuvre towards the flag. Kormal had to stay with him and fire his rifle at the attacking droids. The droids' intensive attacks gave the Bothan very little to work with, only being able to peek over and back in within short intervals. After a minute, the droids followed their programming to begin the offensive towards the cadets, walking slowly while continuing to shoot on.

Jaune breathed in a strong breath, trying to break free of his paranoia and fight back with Kormal to back him up. He clutched his blaster and tensed up the muscles in the arm with the shield. But just as he was about to finally move out, he laid his eyes on someone else struggling to survive through the quagmire.

There, he saw Bekto, alone and under heavy fire, stumbling to his feet as he tried to dodge the electric bolts of blaster fire coming for him. He was trapped within the cluster of electrocuting lasers that it was so difficult for him to move forward and take on the enemy.

Eventually, the Rodian couldn't take it anymore. The panic had made Bekto freak out and fall down to the ground to his belly, desperate to find cover from the barrage of bolts. Unfortunately, that still had landed him right in the middle of enemy fire, with nothing to protect him. Now vulnerable and helpless, the Rodian was bantha fodder.

He heard the mechanical steps of the droids closing in on him. He turned his head behind him and saw that a battle droid was getting ready to zap him out of the course. The droid armed its blaster and was about to pull the trigger, putting an end to the Rodian's time on the field.

"Watch out!" From out of nowhere, a loud scream was heard and the Rodian could feel a powerful force pushing him away from his previous spot. Bekto was then sent rolling away, just in time for the blaster bolt to narrowly miss him. When he stopped, he couldn't understand what had happened, but as he rose up, he saw a body right beside him, still holding onto him by the hand and lying down. He took a good look at the person who had actually saved him.

He couldn't believe it. His saviour turned out to be none other than…

"Jaune!" Kormal's scream confirmed the identity of Bekto's rescuer. He didn't know why Arc would push himself to save him, after all that the Rodian had done to him. He didn't even think Jaune would be the least bit gracious enough to consider him worth saving. It was either stupidity or pity that drove Jaune to do what he did. Nevertheless, Bekto was miraculously saved from elimination.

The Arc picked himself up from his unexpected rescue and looked at Bekto. he himself had been surprised as to what he did. Somewhere deep inside him, it felt like he had to do the right thing, even if it was someone who had done him much wrong.

"You okay?" Still, he felt that he had done what was necessary, regardless of any grudge he and Cardin's group had against each other. Bekto didn't seem too thankful for Jaune's save and just dusted himself before taking his stun gun and walking off to resume his run to the flag. Jaune just watched him go off, understanding that the Rodian didn't want to be seen being rescued by some wimp like him. Just as he walked back to re-join Kormal, he had heard a rather unusual sound.

" _I'm… fine…_ " Bekto silently whispered to Jaune and ran off. Jaune didn't know what to say, but he could feel a sense of touching kindness coming from one of his worst bullies. He supposed that if the battle was real, then the Rodian would have most certainly been killed if he didn't save him out there. It could have been him. He would had been the one killed if he gave his life for Bekto. However, it didn't matter. No one deserved to die a horrible death, no matter how cruel they could be, as long as they were on the same side. He thought, perhaps some punks do have a soft spot too, and knew that if he were to be saved like that, he too would feel extra thankful to his saviour.

With Bekto moving out and back into the fight, Jaune returned to Kormal, avoiding more of the enemy fire and remembering to blast the droid that almost got him and Bekto eliminated.

"Wow…" Kormal said in awe. "You just saved… Bekto." He sounded almost like Jaune had made some baffling mistake, unsure about Jaune's decision to spare the Rodian's time on the field. "Bekto? Of all people…"

"Come on, Kormal. Let's not waste any more time asking questions." Jaune clearly didn't want to answer to why he did it, more focused on the mission, although it was clear that he didn't feel like discussing it anyway. "On me."

"Right." Kormal decided to let it go and had Jaune's back with the Arc using his shield again to block off the droids' fire. Bekto was almost already at the steps to the flag, so it was time to catch up.

* * *

Pyrrha and her fellow spectators saw the whole thing. How that cadet rushed right in and saved that other cadet from being kicked out of the course. An act of selflessness that hit right into the heart of the commando from Mistral. She could not help but feel at awe with how brave the actions of that cadet were. it was these sudden but heroic moments that always inspired her, and from here, she was already pulled in by what she saw. At first, she saw only fear in that cadet; a reluctance to brave the dangers of war. But when push came to shove, he was able to muster up the courage he did have in there somewhere and pulled off what few would dare to do.

Just like **he** did…

"That boy was simply wasting his time saving that other one. He was supposed to focus on the main task at hand instead of getting butt whopped to save someone else's skin." Pyrrha just wanted to punch the captain's face for saying something so disrespectful to his own cadet, who would have had, in real battle, sacrificed himself for a noble cause, to save someone else and let him live to return home one day. Alas, she had to restrain herself, knowing that no good would come from a bad move.

"Nonsense, Captain!" Thankfully, Port, out of nowhere, objected with cheer, obviously impressed by Jaune's deeds. "That boy took an awful amount of risk to save that other cadet's life. At least, if he were to be deployed in battle for real."

"Whatever you say, sir." Soroleck returned to inspecting the battle. Pyrrha smiled at Port's support for the cadet and she too continued to watch the battle unfold, but most definitely, her eyes were glued to the heroic cadet who did the bravest of acts.

* * *

By this point, thanks to Jaune's heroic move, the two remaining cadets were already at the foothold of the citadel that housed the flag at front. Jaune and Kormal were about to climb up the steps, but were faced with droid fire from all sides. Kormal used his rifle to knock down each of the droids as Jaune provided the mobile defence to keep him safe. Bekto, on the other hand, was unfortunately shot down during his own ascension up the stairs, leaving the two alone against the last of the droids. Still, there were a lot of them to handle, so there wasn't going to be any more backing down.

They reached the steps towards the first block up to the flag, flanked by droids still firing at them. Jaune knew he couldn't shield Kormal and himself for long with lasers coming from all sides.

"We better switch things up." advised Kormal. "Not sure if you'll be able to keep us safe at this rate."

"What's the plan?" Jaune agreed, looking to Kormal for a new strategy.

"Split up. You take the right; I'll take the left." The two initiated their plan to separate the defence and take on each side of the citadel. Jaune didn't really feel any more confident about handling a bunch of droids on his own, but for the sake of the course, he had to push himself and make the dash to victory. Pray to the Force he'd make it, he thought.

As Jaune dispersed from Kormal, he ran right for the next flight of steps to his objective, depending on the cover of his shield to block of the shots coming for him. He crouched down and let his shield protect his exposed cover. Once the fire slowed, he instinctively fired back with his personal blaster. His aim was as clunky as ever and with his misses, he raised his shield more times than he could destroy. It did take a little longer before he could actually hit his target, striking them with three shots, two missed and one finally hit its mark, for each droid. It was a slow pace, but since he was on his own, he was going to have to work even harder to reach his goal.

Right as he was about to reach the next flight of stairs, he looked around, watching out for any more surprises that might come his way. Then, as soon as he turned his head for the flag, he was already out for a nasty shock.

 **BWUIM!**

The blast hit Jaune right at the head. His helmet soon began to jolt up with irritating buzzing noises. Unable to shake off the noise, Jaune quickly removed his helmet and thus exposing his face to the enemy. He resorted to move on and blasted the droid who shot him. A lucky shot, but now Arc had been left with one less defence to save him from any more unfortunate mishaps. Without his helmet, he was almost as doomed as a nuna in a Hutt palace. Regardless, he didn't let the loss of his headgear hinder his performance.

* * *

"That boy…" Now, with Jaune's helmet out of his reach, Pyrrha could see the identity of the cadet she was so focused on. There she saw the face that she had stumbled upon earlier. The face she thought had something quite unique compared to any other. She was certainly amazed by what the cadet could do under the pressure other than his weak aim and weaker endurance. She remembered that boy… Jaune, saying that he was as clumsy as could be. And yet, with all of his clumsiness, the cadet had shown bravery he never knew he had. Pyrrha saw within this timid soldier and saw a mighty narglatch within his very heart.

"Well, that's gonna be a waste of metal." Once again, Soroleck couldn't keep his big mouth shut for Pyrrha to evaluate Jaune more. He certainly wasn't any help motivating his men. A leader like that should had been sacked long ago, as far as her experience had led her to believe. She wanted to relent, but she chose not to do anything foolish. She just kept on watching Jaune, willing to see if there was more to him than meets the eye. Of course, she had to make sure Kormal had some assessment as well, for he too had some potential to her liking. For some reason, however, she couldn't take her eyes off the one cadet that had amazed her this far.

* * *

And now, it was here that Jaune had finally made it. Right in front of him, the flag was in sight. For once, after such a hectic year of failures and downfalls, he was ready to secure his first major win ever. Just one pull and it was all he needed to score one victory to be remembered. He saw the flag hanging down a pole, waiting to be plucked out and to make Jaune the success he always wanted to be. Jaune inched forward ready to finally have his chance to ascend to greatness.

"Jaune!" Then, a voice stopped him, revealed to be that of his good friend, who had also managed to hold off on his own. They both came together to congratulate each other on a job well done, seeing that there were no more droids left for them to worry about.

"Nice shooting, man." praised Jaune, giving his friend a fist bump.

"Couldn't have done it without you, Jaune." Kormal added in return. They then walked on together to retrieve the flag, ensured that victory was both theirs to take. Then, Kormal stopped and looked to Jaune who also faced him when he noticed the stop to his motion.

"How about you take the flag, Jaune?" the Bothan offered. Jaune couldn't help but wonder why Kormal would let take such an honourable win, when he knew he didn't do as much as he did.

"Really?" But his inner temptations didn't want him to just lose that moment right away.

"Come on. I think you deserve it more than I do." Kormal's kindness had given Jaune the guarantee that he could definitely take this moment to end the battle with his own hands. Taking in the glory, Jaune strutted forward, shaking nervously after enduring the fight for what felt like an eternity. He never thought this day would come and once that flag was off, he would be ready to finally find hope in his time in the Academy. All was looking good at last…

 **BWUIM!**

"Look out!" So close, yet so far…

From right behind them, they were appalled when another group of training droids emerged from behind the citadel's sides, firing their weapons and beginning the whole ordeal anew. Jaune and Kormal went back to their old shield manoeuvre and did their best to withstand the sudden assault.

"Karabast!" cried out Kormal. "Just when we were so close!"

* * *

Pyrrha almost leapt from her chair when she saw the surprise move by the simulation droids. She had never seen anything like this. When a warrior finally wins his or her battle, they have the right to obtain the flag right away. That was to incite courage, determination and a sense of accomplishment in training. This, however, was taking it too far. When she turned to look at Captain Soroleck, he was just watching on with glee, smirking at the sight of seeing his cadets being pushed to their wit's end again.

"Captain." Admiral Port stood up, unimpressed by what was going on. "You do know that those boys had completed the test, right? They should deserve the chance to win." The captain just shook his head, defiant for his choice when it came to coaching his own men. He was not one to take victories for granted, knowing that nothing in war was ever easy.

"I'm sorry, sir." he defended. "I have no choice but to make things a little more challenging for out cadets." Pyrrha couldn't take it anymore. With every bit of patience, she stood up and faced the captain. She was so disheartened by the treatment of the cadets that she needed to settle things straight with the captain. She stood right in front of him and stared him down, finally having lost her patience.

"If you're trying to impress me, Captain, this isn't working." With strict demeanour, she stood her ground and rebuked Soroleck for his mistreatment, surprising Admiral Port. She didn't care if she was going to get some bad reputation out of all of this; she wanted those men down there to succeed, not to be smacked in the face by some darn ambush.

Even with her defiant stance, the captain refused to give in. Though he was impressed with Pyrrha and her ability to care for those on the battlefield, he still felt that his actions were justified. A puff of his breath, he was quick to tell down on the Commander.

"Sorry, Commander. But my men should be better trained that this. War's always full of surprises, so you gotta prepare for the unexpected." Then, he gave one coy smirk that Pyrrha wanted to rip right out of his mouth, but what he said next was something that forced her to think otherwise. "Are things always easy for **you** , Commander?" The captain's words back at Pyrrha were enough to silence her. She had to admit it; he was right. War is indeed unforgiving. It casts a shadow that looms over all who fight on the battlefield, unleashing its demons to hunt them down when they least expect it.

To Pyrrha, it was a haunting reminder of what had happened before. Before everything turned dark for her. Before the times of great dread came. Before… **it** happened…

"That's what I thought." A satisfied smirk from Captain Soroleck sought to put her back in her place. Pyrrha had to oblige and sat back down, praying onto the Force that Jaune and Kormal would make it out just fine. The captain had left a very sour taste for her and she hoped that, no matter the odds, the two cadets would be able to become victorious.

* * *

The duo was faced with renewed trouble as droids continued to push them back. Going nearer to the flag might had been a good thing, but doing so with tons of blaster fire coming your way and droids inching closer to you as well; it was far worse than anything right now.

Kormal fired from behind Jaune's shield, shooting down the droids at their heads. But then, just as he was about to load up another charge after depleting his weapon energy, he checked his pockets to find some more cartridges. All he got… was nothing… His pockets were empty, leaving nothing to feed his gun up.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Kormal. "I'm out of charges! Blast!" Jaune was now between a rock and a hard place. With no fire left for his defence and only his shield to obstruct the enemy's attacks, there was almost no way to fight back. One move for the flag, they were both sure to be shot right out of the bat. And everything was going so well and just right there, victory was in sight.

With every shot on his shield, Jaune was losing his grip and hold on the ground. At any moment, he would finally break and get zapped, losing the fight for the both of them. There was no way he was going to let this happen. There was only one way to break through and win the simulation.

"Go!"

"What?!" Kormal fell flabbergasted. Bewildered by Jaune's request, the cadet didn't wish to be a burden to Jaune, let alone the reason Jaune would not get the victory he so deserved. He was reluctant to move, wishing for another way to make this victory worthwhile for the both of them.

"There's no time! I'll cover you! Just get to the flag and end this for us." Jaune boldly told his friend to claim the win for the team.

"But Jaune…" Kormal wanted to help Jaune fulfil his own moment, but the blonde defender had to yell at him to make his point.

"Just do it! We'll both never get the flag if I don't do something to cover you! Just go!" After Jaune shut him up, the Bothan had to finally give in and accept the sacrificial demand. Somewhere deep inside, he knew Jaune was right. His shield was the only thing that could protect him for the flag to be reached, although that also meant that Jaune would have to take the fall and be considered another failure yet again.

However, he did see Jaune's resolve from his voice. He was willing to let his comrades go ahead and get through the danger, taking the hits for them. Kormal saw the heroism in his actions and he really couldn't argue with the determination in a soldier who puts his friends before himself. Even if he wasn't going to make it, at least one person would secure victory for the cause he fought for. Jaune knew this and that was going to be the only way to earn triumph in the course.

Finally, Kormal had no argument with Jaune's defence. He stood up and made for the flag as fast as he could, even if the flag was only a few steps away. Jaune stayed on, blocking the shots as the droids got closer and intensifying the firepower against him.

The cadet stood his ground, even as the increasing strength of the enemy pushed him back. His grip on the shield grew weaker with each second gone. He had seen this coming; the moment he would have to put his friends before his own pride. He didn't care if he wasn't the one who picked the flag and make his comeback as a proud member of the Arc family. All that mattered that if his team was to win, all that really mattered was that at least someone can decide the fate of the battle, not just him. That was the way of the Arc family; you are victorious not simply because you won the battle yourself, but because you defend those who can do it too. No amount of military upbringing or academy lectures could ever tell him otherwise.

So, while Kormal ran for the flag, Jaune made his last stand, taking all the firepower away from his friend and let it all out on himself. Soon, he could not handle any longer. His shield was knocked off from his lost grip and eventually, he was shot to the chest, stunning him down.

As he fell down, Jaune thought his time was up; his aura completely gone. However, when he saw the droids closing in for the 'kill', he knew he had some aura left in his count to still be in the game. Despite this, he was already shocked hard enough to lose his ability to stand. The droids were almost ready to finish him off before moving on to Kormal.

Jaune closed his eyes, anticipating Kormal to win the fight for him and his team. He didn't get the glorious moment he wanted, but at least he'll go down knowing that it was not going to be him winning for himself, but Kormal winning for **everyone**. That was all that counted. Jaune prepared for the droids to fire one last shot before his time would finally end.

…

…

Silence. Jaune looked up to find that the droids just stood still, without firing the final shot. Then, they suddenly withdrew back to stand straight and remain idle for a few good seconds. It was a sign that something right had happened. All it took for Jaune was to look back and see what made the droids shut down.

He smiled. There, he saw Kormal, raising the flag high in the air, facing him with a big grin of gratefulness. The Bothan had managed to not only win the course, but also do so before Jaune could be shut down. Both of them had won the battle.

Trying to get up, Jaune was just so elated that he wanted to jump up, but the shock had done a great deal to his body. It could take a few hours for the effects to wear off, so he was going to be numb till then. Luckily, that was nothing a good shot from a medical droid couldn't fix, and it so happens that one would be waiting for him at the side-lines, treating the rest of the fallen cadets.

Either way, none of that was important. He reached for his victorious friend, stumbling a little bit. Kormal went over to help his friend out. Jaune's sacrifice had won them the simulation and the Bothan would take great pleasure that he had his good friend to back him up.

"Jaune. You are one crazy son of a monkey-lizard!" They both chuckled together with Kormal's rambunctious teasing, joining together in a friendly embrace.

"It's what we Arc's do, Kormal." Jaune reminded him of his code of honour. To shield his allies to ensure victories was theirs, even in the face of death, was the highest honour any Arc would have; academic grades or not. He didn't care if he disappointed the captain or anyone watching him from above. Victory is only meant for the whole cause, not just the individual deciding it.

* * *

Once the simulation was over, the spectators had finally finished their viewing of the whole ordeal. Captain Soroleck just scoffed at the sight of the young Arc, once again, failing to determine the win.

Regardless, Admiral Port, and especially Pyrrha herself, were quite the opposite. Port displayed a sense of pride in watching the efforts of a partnership between two combatants unfold in a show of courage, teamwork and sacrifice. He was certainly jubilant from what he watched, almost enough for him to break out into another one of his storytelling moments again.

Pyrrha, however, was more than delighted by the results. She had seen something special within the young Arc. Something that she was quite surprised to see in the cadet since the moment she first met him. There was a tingling feeling inside of her that reminded her of some of her previous comrades who all joined her on the battlefield. Those… who sadly died.

"So, Miss Nikos!" Admiral Port clapped his hand onto her shoulder. "Now that you've seen everything, let us embark down on the lower floor and see who you shall select as your new partner!" Pyrrha couldn't think straight, but she did manage a firm response to Peter Port.

"Sure thing, sir." It was time to pick a candidate that shall accompany her to battle. The question was…

Who should she pick? No doubt, she would need to think this through. While she did enjoy what was presented by Jaune and Kormal, she still needed someone who was still physically capable if she wanted to prevail on the battlefield. Even if Cardin and his group were rushing and quite disorganized, she might have had to work on that if she must. In the meantime, all thoughts had to be considered before she could pick her final choice.

* * *

Soon, once Jaune and the others, save for Kormal, all received their shots from the medical droid to stabilize their nervous from the electric effects of the stun blasts, they all gathered back at the simulation course. All around them, the numerous wreckages of the training droids littered the area. They could be fixed and reused in future simulations, but still, the cadets could take pride in what they had done.

Cardin was obviously the one to boast about his kill count. Bekto, on the other hand, silently cursed at Winchester for leaving him to get stunned by the droids and being unable to put his skills to use. Whislow was just frustrated that he couldn't get enough kills to satisfy his trigger-happy nature.

Jaune and Kormal were both just glad they had survived the course, Jaune technically did. Yet, the Bothan still felt a little bad that he was the one to pull the flag out, not Jaune. He deserved to have that flag after his efforts to shield him from harm. Jaune noticed his plight and patted him at the back, assuring him that he did what had to be done if there was going to be a better way to end the round; one of them had to win. Although feeling a little sad that he didn't get his chance, he still took pride in doing what an Arc would always do.

And now, came the pivotal moment. Everyone had been wondering why they had been forced their butts to get stunned by training droids in this harrowing race for the flag, and they would have the chance to find out.

Coming towards them, Captain Soroleck, with his hands behind his back, marched along with Admiral Port and the guest of the hour. Pyrrha's beauty caught the eyes of the men. Well, almost all of them… They couldn't keep their eyes off of her, star-struck by this awesome young warrior's graceful appearance. Jaune, on the other hand, just stood there, smiling at least to show Pyrrha how happy he was to be meeting her again. Their attention was snapped out by Soroleck's rough clearing of his throat, prompting them to stand straight and at attention.

"Now, Miss Nikos." Admiral Port spoke up. "I am sure the men are honoured to finally meet you in the flesh." He then turned to those happy few waiting to find out why she was here to watch them. "As you all must know; Pyrrha Nikos has been brought here to see who shall be worthy of accompanying her as her new combat assistant." They could not believe it even more; Pyrrha Nikos was going to find out who among them was going to be selected for the chance of being by her side on the battlefield!

"But, unfortunately for most of you…" Captain Soroleck then punched right in to ruin the hopes of the cadets. "Since Cadet Kormal is the one who pulled the flag, he is declared the actual winner of the course." Now, eyes were on Kormal. The Bothan himself was becoming really juiced up at the thought of fighting alongside **the** Pyrrha Nikos. Cardin and his boys were obviously disgusted that they were not chosen, simply because they must had sucked. Jaune, meanwhile, was still sporting with his friend's accomplishment. At least he got the chance to do something about his career now. "Which is why, it is within great honour that…"

"Actually, sir." Then, all of a sudden, Pyrrha spoke up. Her decision shift things up caused a mixture of feelings among the cadets. "I respect Cadet Kormal's performance in battle… but I wish to make a new request."

Kormal was kind of shocked at the news, disappointment striking him from within. Why was he not selected?! If not him, then who?! He couldn't understand why he was rejected by the warrior herself. Unless…

"Oh… As you wish." Admiral Port gave her the permission, gesturing for her to choose among the other cadets. "Do bring him over." Captain Soroleck was overcome with disbelief over Admiral Port's decision to allow Pyrrha to exchange cadets, let alone hearing out Pyrrha making that request. He reached out to stop the Admiral from continuing on with this unorthodox change of things.

"But sir!" he exclaimed, defending how things were done his way in this training course. "Cadet Kormal is the deciding victor of this course! He…" A palm from the admiral immediately sealed his lips from ranting any further, showing the admiral's displeasure of Soroleck's bickering.

"Now, now, captain. We have brought Commander Nikos all this way for this. We should at least give her the chance to make her own decisions." He fiddled his finger, still sure that Pyrrha had the right to choose who she really wanted as a partner.

Kormal was still feeling disappointed by Pyrrha's rejection of him being her partner. Somehow, though, the Bothan had some good feeling that he knew why and at least he could take comfort knowing that what he thought was the reason was as he had hoped. It had to be that reason; Pyrrha had to go for someone with the traits he believed belonged to someone else.

Pyrrha came over to the other hopeful boys; Cardin and the other two grew very excited over their renewed hopes of joining her on the battlefield. She walked on and on before eventually, stopping at her chosen individual. No one had believed who she decided to go for; who she picked as the right choice for her to be the partner she had been looking for.

"I pick Cadet Arc, sir."

Everyone was blown away, none more so than Jaune himself. Out of all the powerful and agile men right there, who were more suited and more prepared for battle than Jaune Arc, it ended up being him! All were immensely shocked at the choice Pyrrha had made. Cardin and his boys were especially mad at what they witnessed. That weakling? Over them? How could this be? What did Jaune have that they didn't? There was no way a loser like him would ever have a chance on the battlefield, let alone being with the wonderful lady fighter in their presence.

It was now time for Kormal to finally smile after he heard Pyrrha choosing Jaune over him. This was probably a little compensation from being switched away for someone else. Jaune had been picked and he probably predicted so after she announced the desire to change. If there was one thing Jaune had that made him stand out from the rest, Kormal might had known what it was, and he was actually more glad now for being instrumental in Jaune's rise to glory.

As for Jaune, well, let's just say, he was more than elated right about now. He was beyond astonished that somehow, despite his fall-backs and inefficiency in the action, he was chosen to be this legend's sidekick; her plus one in the fight against the Separatist army. Amazement and shock kept him immobile for the next few minutes. Just when he thought he'd finally kick the bucket on his time in the Academy, here he was, selected to become part of a battle unit alongside Pyrrha Nikos herself.

Captain Soroleck was the type of instructor to value a soldier from the victories they earn or the exact achievements from accomplishing their goals, and less of the valour and determination to fight and protect. Why Jaune of all cadets had to be chosen was beyond him. Pyrrha had to suppress it, but she couldn't help but feel satisfied with the captain's bewildered expression. She was trained to keep her emotions in check, with that one time back at the viewing room a case of being pushed too far.

"B-But, Commander. I-I hate to be judgemental about your decision, but I'm afraid his skills and training aren't very satisfactory. He is not … qualified to be on the battlefield just yet." The captain's report on Jaune's lack of proper combat efficiency only fell on deaf ears as Pyrrha justified her choice.

"Does it really matter if he's not strong?" she answered back with diligence, but she felt like it was more of a retort. "Who I need, Captain, is a soldier. Loyal and dedicated to serving the Remnant Army. And above all else, someone who is willing to put his life on the line to save others, regardless of their strengths or weaknesses." She then looked at Jaune, taking in all the features she had mentioned into picture and drew a very satisfied interpretation of what wanted in Jaune. "That is why I believe someone like Cadet Arc fits the description nicely."

Jaune felt a very high sense of pride and joy from Pyrrha's assessment of

"But… he's…" The captain still begged to differ, still very unconfident that Jaune was qualified enough to fit within the likes of the legendary Commander. Pyrrha, again, took her pleasure to silence the captain before he tried to argue again.

"If there should be any work to shape him up, then it shall be my duty to make sure he is well fit for the job." "I do believe my choices are respectable and justified, right?" One little grin was all she needed to put Soroleck in his place. The captain couldn't mutter a single word, especially when Admiral port was watching him. Any fight back was considered an act of insubordination and Soroleck did not want to tarnish his reputation further, in front of his cadets at least. Finally, he had to surrender his doubts and allow the chips to fall as they may.

"Yes, ma'am." He forced a formal answer, though Pyrrha could feel his dislike for the choice she made. He stood straight, not wanting to let his disappointment be seen by the likes of his company around him.

"Very well!" Admiral gleefully acknowledged the finalization of the process of the combat assistant partner program. "As of now, Cadet Jaune." He came forward to the young cadet and placed both of his hands on his shoulders, displaying pride for his accomplishments. "You shall accompany Commander Pyrrha Nikos to serve under the 72nd Remnant Joint Assault Division as her partner. A noble cause!"

Jaune did nothing but gave a sheepish smile, somewhat of an embarrassment among his peers; made even far worse as Cardin and his gang still couldn't fathom the thought of seeing that weak, worthless piece of dianoga trash be put under Pyrrha Nikos' wing. Then, after Admiral Port shook Jaune's hand, he then brought Pyrrha over with him for some final words before she and Jaune would finally depart right away.

In the meantime, Captain Soroleck took this time to give Jaune his own farewell, though it was not one of good will.

"You may have been lucky to be chosen, but I expect you to become a more compatible soldier than what you've been through here, Mr. Arc. Because whether you like or not, you're still a worthless sack of crap. Don't disappoint me." Jaune felt the full chill up his spine when Captain Soroleck talked him down, leaving the shaken cadet behind to go somewhere and wonder if the military was really making the right decisions these days.

Cardin and his group had left soon after, not bothering to vent their frustration out on Jaune for being side-lined so that buffoon could be sent to battle. Winchester himself threw his helmet away, startling the others in the field as he stormed away with his two boys, cursing at Jaune to die a painful death for being such a lucky son of a…

"Dude!" Jaune was then spooked by the sudden cry of joy from the person he'd never thought be happy of not receiving the honour of being Pyrrha's combat assistant. "You've just been selected to be partnered with **the** Pyrrha Nikos! How cool is that?!"

"Uhhh… You… aren't jealous?" uttered Jaune, confused at the Bothan's surprising amount of excitement. If he'd known Pyrrha was a famous celebrity of sorts, he would have guessed that Kormal, like the rest of the cadets, would had been extremely upset over being called out of favour by the legend herself. Instead, Kormal looked to feel the opposite.

"Seriously?!" Kormal yelled out of bafflement, but only because Jaune was still being as dense as a rock. "How can you be so clueless? Sure, I may be quite bummed out, but hey! **She** chose **you**! This is the chance you've been waiting for! Forget me! **You** are the man!" The Bothan's cries of encouragement only made things more audible for Pyrrha to hear them. Jaune tried desperately to shush him up and try to change the subject to make things less awkward. Too late…

"Cadets?" Miss Nikos had concluded her talk with Admiral Port, thankfully spared from another one of his war stories and left her to be with her new partner. "Is there a problem?"

"Uh!" Jaune shook his hands out, frantically assuring to her that there was nothing to be worried about. "No, ma'am!" Kormal could just laugh his heart by how embarrassed Jaune must had been. Pyrrha just smiled, amused by his crazed attempt to skip the subject.

"Good. If you don't mind, I think we should be going now." Pyrrha announced. This was it. Together, Pyrrha and Jaune would go on to serve as a pair of able soldiers in the fight against the Separatist Alliance that threatened Remnant. That was, if Jaune really considered himself able. He was still trembling with nervousness over his new assignment as Pyrrha's combat assistant, that he was still hesitant to even step forward; he still felt so extraordinarily lucky to have this opportunity to finally leave the Academy, but still trying to face the fact that he had actually made it out, making him unsure of what to do next.

"Yeah, sure." His voice was very stammering from the uncertainty that was plaguing his confidence in the face of Pyrrha. He looked to his fellow cadet, who was just puzzled as to why Jaune was being a coward again. "Um… can you give me a second?" Jaune picked up on his feet and ran, pulling Kormal to another corner of the chamber. Pyrrha still kept her smile, optimistic of what Jaune was going through. She had to see this coming; the doubts of a soldier in the face of his eventual rise to prominence.

"Sure thing." Waving her hand, she decided to give the boys their time to discuss whatever business they had to settle before she could finally embark with Jaune to the battlefield. Surely, Jaune must had been so exhilarated over the fact that he was finally about to go to battle, he was probably speechless.

"I don't know why this is happening!" Jaune had dragged Kormal all the way to the nearest corner of the room, finally letting loose his inner rush of emotions that had been fuelling his confusion over where to go next. He had been expecting a solid, easy-to-follow timeline of semesters to see him off to his eventual service for his family. Pyrrha just simply picking him out to serve when he was only as low as a first-time recruit was too uncalled for.

"Dude." Deadpanned, Kormal breathed out a low sigh. He wasn't sure why even the thought of being killed in battle didn't cross Jaune's mind. "Really? You're actually not excited about this?"

"Of course I am!" Jaune was so flustered by the sudden turn of events that had occurred, trying to figure out what he'd do to go along with it, going into a state of agitation. "I just… can't believe it's actually happening!" Each second passed, Jaune's fears grew along with his volume. "What do I do, Kormal?! What if I screw up?! What if I let her down?! Oh, the captain's going to kill me if I let anything terrible happen to her! I…!"

"Jaune!" Finally, Kormal held Jaune in place, clutching his hands upon his shoulders to stop the man from eventually screaming out. Toning it down to a calm level, he assured Jaune that everything would eventually turn out the way Jaune wanted for his family. "Relax. You got this." Jaune finally stopped panicking and listened to his faithful friend. "It's finally about time you step up now. Pyrrha Nikos chose **you**. The best thing you can do now is accept the task and be by her side. That has got to be the greatest honour you'll ever get." The Bothan's touching words had made him realize that he was right. He was going to go to become the soldier his family had always wanted him to be, and he was going to make them proud. Where else was he to go if this opportunity didn't happen? The worst he could be was a bartender down in the Industrial District, or a sanitation worker cleaning scraps of the heavily busy docking bays. His sisters couldn't take up the honour of being the family prodigy, being more involved in matters that require their presence at home. Jaune had to take up arms, and this was his chance to venture out and fight for the good name of the Arc family.

Thankful for Kormal's help, Jaune gently pushed the Bothan in the chest, grinning comfortably for the first time since his call to his father.

"You're right, Kormal." Still, the pressure was mounting against him, but Jaune would do his best to ensure that he would get better at fighting, even if it really meant going out to war. 'Oh man…"

"You got this, Jaune." added Kormal. "And don't worry about me. Maybe someone else as great as her will select me to be his or her partner." When the job was done, Kormal led Jaune back to Pyrrha, seeing that she was eagerly waiting for them to arrive. As they came together, Jaune made the move and finally separated himself from Kormal to join the Commander.

"Sorry I kept you waiting, Commander." apologized Jaune.

"It's no problem at all." Pyrrha waved her hand to the side, showing no hard feelings about the wait. She then faced the other cadet and put an apologetic look on her face. "And, forgive me for not choosing you, Cadet Kormal. You have done a very excellent job out there. I hope I didn't upset you."

"Please, Miss Nikos. N-no hard feelings." Kormal was still feeling the jolts of excitement from being in a conversation with Pyrrha, showing no disappointment in her choice. "Just watch out for Cadet Arc. He can be a bit…" He smirked at the sight of Jaune giving him that goofy look meaning to shut him up. "He'll be worth your while."

Before he could move on, Jaune came to Kormal and gave the Bothan a fist bump to give his farewell.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye, Kormal." he sighed. He had grown used to having the Bothan by his side and leaving him behind felt quite awkward. Then again, it was the same when he had to say goodbye to every one of his friends who graduated from the Academy before him.

"Don't sweat it, bro." Kormal prepared to part ways from him and let Jaune be free to embrace his destiny at last. Then, once their pleasantries were over, Jaune shook the Bothan's hand and they soon walked away from each other; Pyrrha leading Jaune out from the Academy. "Maybe we'll see each other in battle real soon." Kormal shouted back at Jaune when they were further away. "Go on, and may the Force be with you."

Despite the kind farewell, Jaune felt a new concern over his own abilities. After what Kormal said to him, the idea of going to battle still haunted him, remembering how cowardly or reluctant he was to face danger with a bold and strong attitude. "Yeah. You too, buddy." But he whispered back to him with a voice silent enough for a few mice to hear him, with the voices of doubt inside his head becoming louder than his own.

"In battle…"

* * *

Finally, after being stuck inside the Academy for a year, Jaune was out in the open, at last. Technically, he had been outside occasionally for supplies or relaxation times allowed by Academy officials. This was, however, his first real exit from the Academy which would incite a sense of freedom and accomplishment from the young Arc.

However, he was pulled out right as he was felt still too inexperienced to go off to the actual battlefield. He was starting to feel very fidgety about facing tons of deadly laser fire and scorching explosions that would incinerate his body to major extremes. The fears of death were overwhelming him again, just as it had back in training, although to a much larger extent. Back then, he was timid towards facing pain; now there was actual death involved in wherever he would go to.

As he and Pyrrha walked towards the city square in front of the Academy filled with plant decorations and a statue of one of the city's past kings, Jaune was too focused on processing his mind that he didn't see the manhole on the pavement, causing him to trip his foot and nearly tumble down. Pyrrha caught him in his little accident, watching the Arc clumsily skipped a few steps before regaining his balance.

She remembered Jaune saying that he tended to be very clumsy and it clearly showed. She found the sight of him being a klutz made her sniffle a little, even as Jaune found it quite humiliating stumbling in front of her.

But after seeing him down there, she felt that there was more to Jaune's meagre grace than she thought. It was like Jaune was afraid to fight, but when it came to helping others, he was not going to let the fear get to him. There was a sudden burst of heroism that pushed him forward, forgetting about his frightful personality and coming to the aid of those in need.

Then, as she noticed from that near fall to the floor, she knew there was still the sacredy' Lothcat at his exterior. Yet, deep inside, there was a Lothwolf ready to burst out when trouble threatens his comrades. She just needed to shape him up and help him adjust to battle.

The whole time, they talked about Pyrrha being a Commander for the Mistral Army Corps and the numerous campaigns she took part in. Jaune could listen on for days as Pyrrha retold her stories of her valour and grace in battle that had won Anima glorious victories. With all that talent and skill, he would never be able to match her, let alone surpass her.

They strolled at the square, passing the King's statue before arriving at a bench where a couple of passers-by fed a flock of geejaws on the floor; a common but unusual sight, given these beautiful birds often flee at the first sign of humans. If there was anyone who felt like the common geejaw, though, it was none other than Jaune; feeling like running off from the fears of adversity.

He had to hold in his worries and become the Arc that he was meant to be; strong and dedicated to the family. He might have had to start making some improvements to his confidence and courage before being able to move out and perform for real. Even more troublesome to him, however, was a question that was brewing inside of him the whole time. If he wasn't as skilled and brave as even the most generic of soldiers; if he couldn't even score a simple victory of Capture-the-Flag, then why did Pyrrha choose him? The weakest of all the men out there, and she picked him. He didn't know what she was thinking when he was the one picked to join her when he was not even ready to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Cardin.

Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to ask Pyrrha exactly why he was chosen over those more capable cadets back in the Academy.

"Hey… uh…Commander?" Jaune stopped walking and called to Pyrrha. The Commander turned around to look at her new comrade. She then noticed the puzzled look on his face; an indicator that he was facing something that needed to get out of his chest. "I hate to be all negative and stuff but…" Jaune hesitated a bit, not sure whether to even go on to ask her if she was so certain of her choice. "Why did you pick me?"

Pyrrha squinted her eyes when Jaune asked a very curious question. Somewhere in that boy, she deduced that Jaune was being troubled by a little issue that was giving him the butterflies in his stomach.

"Why not? Was I not clear with my decision?" She tilted her head, pondering on why Jaune would ask such a question.

"Well, uh… I know you think I'm loyal and all, but…" With Pyrrha's direct stare at him, Jaune began to worry that he had trembled into a disruptive situation, clearly asking to be kicked out when he was already accepted.

"What's wrong? Are you not satisfied with my assignment?" she asked worriedly. Jaune quickly dismissed that assumption and threw his hands out to rush an apology before things got out of hand; not that it was at that level already.

"Oh no!" he exclaimed. "In fact, I'm very honoured! I just didn't think I… I, uh…!" Suddenly, just when he was about to erupt again, Pyrrha quickly went over and grabbed the man by the shoulders, bringing an end to the nearly rupturing system of calm within the lad.

"Jaune, calm down." she told him; her tone relaxed and refined. "Just let it out and tell me what's troubling you." She could already see the explosion of emotions running through him via the face of repulsion and confusion, telling her that Jaune was somewhat, in a nutshell, overcome with fear and shame. It all must had stemmed from those moments on the training course when the fear of battle prompted him to hide behind cover. If that was the case, then she had to wonder why.

"It's just…" Finally, Jaune began to bring out his case with honesty. "I'm not that good of a soldier. I can't even run a freaking course, let alone an actual battlefield. I'm just not sure… I'm the right soldier for you." Pyrrha waited some more if Jaune had anything else to say about his problems. Alas, when nothing more came out in the next three seconds, she resorted to find reason within him.

"May I ask you, Jaune?" she asked. "Why did you come here?"

"Well, Commander, I uh…" Jaune stuttered, but right before he could go on, Pyrrha did something that he'd never expect from a superior.

"Please." interrupted Pyrrha. "Call me Pyrrha." She thought that Jaune was struggling to address himself to someone of high ranking, so if she wanted him to feel a lot more comfortable around her, she would have to lower down her formality and treat Jaune as more of a friend than a soldier under her command. It seemed to work. Jaune let out an easy smile when prompted to forget about formalities.

"Okay, Pyrrha…" It wasn't easy, but the fact that he could finally be around someone friendly in the way of speech gave Jaune some comfort. Kormal, and all of his other friends had treated him the same way, but after what he had been through with the likes of Captain Soroleck, he could take a breath of relief because the next person he would follow gave him the permission to speak freely.

Now, he was willing to pour out his feelings about what was to come. "I thought I'd come here to fulfil the duty of the Arc family. You know, we have a great history of fighting for the glory of Remnant and all of that."

"I'm well aware." Pyrrha interjected.

"But then, there's me. I consider myself the black sheep among the family." Jaune sighed, thinking that this could get a little uneasy for Pyrrha when once she would hear the whole thing. His urge to back away and say nothing was only eliminated when he knew he had to be honest to her, honouring his own ethical code. "I don't enjoy fighting as much as the next guy. It's not like I'm a pacifist or anything. I'm behind the Remnant Coalition every step of the way. I just don't see myself as a soldier to fight for the family." Jaune began to become more emotional after he started, letting his own heart out to express how he felt about becoming someone of the greatest honour. "I have tons of relatives and even my own sisters are better suited for combat. When I was the one to be chosen, I knew I had some big shoes to fill."

"So, why didn't you just say no?" As he feared, Pyrrha had asked a question that he felt was exposing his weakness. To Pyrrha, she felt the conflict within him, wondering why, after all of his own fears, he was forced to do something against his will. She felt that his family had become quite controlling over his decisions, making him a hero without his approval.

But Jaune knew he was making Pyrrha see it that way. But the truth was, it was truly and exactly the opposite.

"I didn't want to." He rubbed the back of his head, stroking the blonde hairs on the back of his neck. Pyrrha just listened on, seeing a surprising devotion in his blue eyes that somehow told her that there was a light in this tumultuous story. "I didn't want to let my family down. It wasn't like they forced me to do it. They said I didn't have to." Pyrrha relaxed a bit, thankful that Jaune wasn't being under the control of family duty, though she did feel wronged that she nearly accused them of forcing him. "I wanted to live up to the family name, despite my fears. I signed up to join the Army and the next thing you know it; here I am. Even if I'm not fit for combat, I just wanted to make my family proud, as they did for many generations. I don't want to say that I was forced to do it, but it was the right thing to do. That was how **I** felt."

"But life as I knew it was going to come down and bite me up." Jaune continued, now getting to negative part of the story.

"I failed… spectacularly." Memories of his past days in the Academy filled his head with difficulty and brought him low esteem. "Every single term, it's the same thing over and over again. I can't pass a single combat subject. I can't even perform decently enough to impress the trainers in the courses. I've been stuck here for more than a year and I still end up being a total novice when everyone else was already shipped off for duty." Jaune finally ended his story, feeling like the man he was when he was still in that building; the very building that seemed to only fully mould others instead of him. An ironic twist to an otherwise honourable member of a well-esteemed family.

"So, there you have it. I'm just a worthless man, meant to be a washout." He turned to look away, hoping to not see the disappointed look on Pyrrha's face when he saw her frown. Surely, this was it. He was going to get back in the Academy after Pyrrha saw who he really was. Disappointment grew in him; some part of him wished he didn't say anything. But if that were to happen, then what would that make him into? He had to tell the truth; it was the honourable path, no matter how pathetic he was.

"I don't see it." Suddenly, out of nowhere, when Jaune expected Pyrrha to throw a very disapproving rant at him, there was a shock of surprise when he heardotherwise… coming from her. He spun back around to hear it from herself one more time.

"What?" he asked.

"I don't see you as a loser, Jaune." Pyrrha definitely said it. He saw her mouth move to say those words; all with a smile.

"What do you mean?" he exhorted, almost like insisting to have Pyrrha rebuke him. "You saw what happened to me back there. I didn't get the flag and win the battle. I'm sure you would have wanted me to…"

"Indeed, I did see you down there." Again, Pyrrha swooped to intercept his dialogue. "But winning that flag yourself wouldn't matter." She then turned her head to find that the two citizens had left the bench, giving them free seats on it. "Sit with me, please." She motioned for Jaune to sit beside her on the bench. The two got together and rested on that very bench; Pyrrha ready to give Jaune a big talk about what she saw in the boy that made her select him as the prime choice for her.

Jaune didn't know what to expect; not aware of what Pyrrha found in him that got him the spot on Pyrrha's team. Thus, it was Pyrrha's job to lecture him on what she thought of as the perfect combatant.

"Jaune. If I know any better, being a soldier isn't always about the brawn of your body, or the intellect on your head." Clenching her fist, she then brought to her chest before looking at Jaune. "It's what's…" Putting her emotion into that hand, she then pointed at Jaune's chest, signalling the source of greatness of each individual. "In here." Jaune couldn't understand what the point was, but he thought it might have had something to do with…

"My chest hair?" Pyrrha stifled a laugh, coming out as a mere snicker. Almost a ridiculous joke than a guess, it was almost too hilarious to not laugh at all.

"No, silly!" she then ended up chuckling heartily before returning to the meaningful message of what **really** made a soldier great. "I meant your **heart**. Who you really are, it's always in there." Pyrrha stood up, delivering enough energy into her voice to show Jaune about her opinions. "You are an Arc! Proud member of a family of legendary warriors. And nothing is going to stop you from being that!" With her two fingers, she gently squeezed his right arm where it was only covered by a soft layer of clothing. "Muscles like this? It's just… crude matter."

Jaune remembered almost the same saying from his father, where the muscles of the human body are only physical representations of one's strength; it was only the soul of the soldier that filled the body with life. And somehow, Pyrrha was almost telling him that same saying, making him think about what his father said, combined with Pyrrha's own words.

"What I'm trying to say, Jaune, is that if you truly believe you can honour your family, then you have to remember who you are, and that comes from your heart. When you saved that cadet's life and then protected the other to get the flag, it already told me that you have a heart of gold. The **true** heart of an Arc."

And finally, after going through a state of mental recollection, Jaune had found the answer he was looking for. He knew it was right, but he wanted to find proof that he could do what needed to be done, and that came when he rescued Bekto and shielded Kormal from those droids. That was it; the piece of the puzzle to determine Jaune's rightful place in the field. He now realized that he had done what Pyrrha wanted of him, to put others over himself and push through fear and paranoia to save them. He shrugged off all of his troubles to save them from being eliminated from the course and eventually helped claim victory.

Now, he had to worry about doing it more often. He was still the cowardly bum who would scream at the face of danger. Somewhere, deep inside, that beast would only come out when he really needed to save a life or fight all the way to victory. He just needed to work on his abilities in battle and be a fitter soldier than he ever was, and right now, he believed he could accomplish that with Pyrrha.

"And another thing." Then, Jaune had his mind set back to Pyrrha, who wanted to add another quality of him. This time, though, it was more of a personal choice. "Do you know why I also chose you, and not those other cadets?" Jaune had to put his brain to work, trying to find any other rational explanation as to why the Commander had chosen him.

"Uhhh…" But nothing really came out, and he had to call it quits on that department. "Okay, I give up."

"It's because you saw me, not as 'Pyrrha Nikos the Invincible', but as just **Pyrrha**." Pyrrha's answer gave Jaune more confusion. Why did that matter? What's in a name, right?

"I… didn't know who you were, so…" Jaune tried to explain, but Pyrrha stopped him again.

"It doesn't matter. I didn't want anyone to give me the special treatment just because I was a revered soldier myself." Indeed, the idea that people would always look up to her, just so she could give them the recognition or the chance to actually feel like legends just by being around her were very discouraging for her. That was why she had her sights set on Jaune long before he even went to the simulation. "I wanted someone who can fight alongside me, stay by my side and fight just the way they are without worrying about impressing me or winning over my trust so much that they'd be willing to go the extra mile."

"So, when I met you, Jaune, and after what I've seen you do back there, I knew I found the right partner." And that was that. Pyrrha had finally given her details and Jaune now had a better picture of what was needed to be a top-of-the-notch soldier. Although he did find the specifics quite foreign, he did find an understanding in her views, feeling how he had managed to accomplish exactly just that during his time in the Academy. Perhaps if what Pyrrha thought were put to Academy training, then he would have had gone out a long time ago. Still, he was kind of curious if he was all the things Pyrrha said he was.

"I… dunno if that's really something the Army's going to accept but…"

"Trust me, Jaune." Pyrrha gave one confident vote to Jaune, assuring him that he was well on his way. "It will work wonders. And it's my decision, so no one's going to question it. Not on my watch." With her backing, Jaune could feel right at home again. It was probably a completely long time since he was fully complete. Now, he could fulfil the legacy of the Arc family with high spirits and a loyal comrade by his side, no matter the consequences.

"Thanks, Command- I mean, Pyrrha." Calling Pyrrha by her name would take some getting used to. The Commander herself would allow Jaune to slowly become more comfortable around her, as long as he would demonstrate his skills for himself and help her throughout the war ahead.

"So, are you going to accept the task you're given?" She gave Jaune one more question to solidify his resolve, extending her hand out to seal the deal. Thankfully, the boy gave one confident grin before shaking Pyrrha's hand, confirming his acceptance to following her.

"Lead the way." The two were finally ready to head out and fight together; to fight the Separatists; to fight the Clone War. They then left their bench to return to the Academy where Pyrrha led him to her ship still docked up on the landing area.

"Great!" cheered Pyrrha. "So, first things first." There was going to be a whole lot of things for Jaune to work out before being able to fight for the first time. "Once we get to my ship, we're going to work on your body physique."

"What?!" And Jaune thought it was going to be another relaxing day. Apparently, nothing was ever easy.

"Jaune. You are indeed loyal and respectable. But you are still a soldier, and you **are** going to have to work on that body and mind if you're going to fight alongside me in battle." The boy sighed, admitting that he had a lot of building to do with his body. He guessed he saw it coming from a mile away anyway.

"Oh well. I guess a few lessons wouldn't hurt." he moaned half-heartedly.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll be fine." Pyrrha gave him a soft punch to the arm, which he then rubbed from the pressure applied. Yep, there was going to be some work to do…

"Whatever you say…" It was going be one heck of a run with this warrior, but Jaune supposed that was going to be the way things were. From this day forth, he would climb up the ladder to achieve the honour his family always fought for in many generations. And by his side was another famed soldier who would help him become a better warrior. Although with rigid training and mind games on the way, Jaune was certain about one thing. Thanks to Pyrrha, he knew he was in the right place, just by being himself…

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

 **A/N~ Pulled off another conclusion to a prologue chapter. And now we shall reach the final prologue of two unlikely friends before we move on with the story at last. Hope you'll like it! Read and review and I shall be forever thankful! See you later, and may the Force be with you!**


	7. Nora and Ren: Will of the Force

**A/N~ I was actually having some doubts about this chapter because I'll be writing about something obscure, but after a lucky break, I am confident in making this part of the story possible. More on that later, but for now, let's thank the wonderful people who took interest in this story so far!**

 **Reviews**

 **ZEF the Fox:**

 **Thanks so much for the review, man! Glad to know I've written something exciting for you** **Yes, much of the training simulation was inspired by the Domino Squad episode and I always envisioned Jaune going through the same thing when making this story.**

 **Lloyd RPGFan:**

 **Yes, it's been really fun writing the lore based on the canon, but I will be including Legends material since, you know, this is a fanfiction story XD**

 **Favourites and follows from Novanski, Azn Lord, Unit529, SSDConker and Tommy298! Thanks guys! Really love it when my stories get people interested** **You guys are grand!**

* * *

 **Nora and Ren: Will of the Force**

The Jedi were not the only beings in the galaxy powerful, connected or who, at the least, worship the living power of the force; for everywhere you go, there would be a range of Force-believers coming together in open arms to pray through different aspects of the mysterious power that bound the galaxy together. From the virtues of the promised return to home of the Lasat, to the dark cults such as Zealots of the Red and Blue, or the Nightsisters of Dathomir, the Force had always gathered like-minded individuals to seek out and find representation within it and make use of its power to achieve different goals.

One sect of the Force dedicated itself as more of a protector to its ancient power and history. They could be found in a very densely-populated world located in the Mid Rim, vastly outdated and out of shape, but still held a very spiritual impact upon the numerous believers of the Force, with everyone travelling from the farthest reaches of the galaxy to ravel in its mystical glow. This group of believers, however, maintained a task to defend the sacred wisdom and power of the Force, becoming guardians to everything that laid within the temples throughout the planet's surface.

They were the Guardians of the Whills, situated on the rocky moon of Jedha.

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Holy City of Jedha,

Jedha,

Jedha System

If you thought Vacuo was a barren world to live in, at least it had a thriving society. Compared to other worlds like Tatooine, Srilurr and Florrum, Vacuo might seem like a tropical paradise. Another world that should be on that list of worlds of hostile conditions was a rocky moon located in a system located far from Remnant. Orbiting a crystal planet, this dry world was home to only a small portion of civilization when comparing it to most other inhabitable worlds in the galaxy.

Despite its arid land, the moon of Jedha was still home to a significant society in the galaxy. Within the moon, there laid a utopia of some of the galaxy's most obscure of believers in the Force, situated above a rock plateau where the people could safely and peacefully worship many aspects of its immense power.

This large city was ancient-looking with the architecture of its rock-built buildings and cloth awnings throughout. Even as it served as the holy capital of many, from the Beatific Countenance to the Weldsingers and many more, Jedha City still seemed to be a great trading centre, as evident by the large air traffic of cargo transports flying around the city. Down on the ground, it was not hard to see why the city was also known as the Holy City; its citizens dressed in long, traditional robes and ragged clothing to reflect the spiritual presence in the city. Many others, however, were shabby and almost plain dirty, suggesting still a society threatened with low income, regardless of its decent trade.

The large temple at the centre was a huge complex, dwarfing every other structure in the city; home to another certain order of Force worshippers, who believed that they were playing a huge role in the protection of the thousands of worshippers coming to Jedha City. The group had the utmost duty to protect them with their lives while the original guardians, the Jedi of old, were all throughout the galaxy.

Many differing sources dictate that the Jedi Order had originated on this moon, or that the moon itself was named after the Jedi Order. No matter who you ask, the Holy City has become something of a haven for the ancient Jedi long before. For some reason, however, the Order had begun to leave the moon and expanded throughout the known galaxy, setting up new temples and enclaves on Coruscant, Taris, Lothal, and the planets of the Remnant system. All that remained of the Jedi's presence were old pieces of history, left behind to be under protection of said order of guardians. The temples were no longer the homes of the Jedi, and were now the centres of worship for the Guardians of the Whills, defending whatever the Jedi had left and preventing them from falling into corrupted or sinister hands; may it be Sith or other greedy minds.

That very temple, the Temple of the Kyber, was now the home complex of the Guardians, housing some of the rarest and most valuable treasures of the moon's Jedi heritage, now under the protection of the Guardians, alongside the pilgrimages and the safety of the worshippers who came to pray.

The streets were littered with pedestrians, priests, cultists and just normal residents alike. At the marketplace where most of the population gathered, business was going on as usual. Sellers earn a decent pay from their products; at least they could call them products, given that most of them were already well expired after being unable to make more than they intended to. At least, even these spoilt goods did serve some purposes to the people, and one person was going to find out the hard way.

"Well! This is some HOT STUFF!" A loud shriek roared across the busy yet quiet marketplace, devastating the ears of those nearby. The wild voice of a young woman yelling excitedly over the possession of a juicy-looking beverage in a tin jug proved too much for the market vendor. With one big gulp, the woman in question drank up the entire liquid down in one gulp.

The Bith at the counter, bewildered at the sight of the rapid consumption, shook his head repeatedly to see if he wasn't hallucinating.

" _Are you seriously that stupid, lady?_ " He spoke in his native tongue.

"P-lease!" The orange-haired girl, who wore a black vest over a white leather shirt, and black pants, bellowed with sass. Her waist was wrapped with a pink-coloured towel, probably to dry off the amount of sweat from her hyperactive bubbly bursts of energy. "I've got the firepower to drink this stuff! So don't worry about a thing!" The confident soul finished up the drink to the last drop.

The Bith couldn't believe what he saw. Then, they were joined by another wandering individual who approached the girl as she slurped up the last sip. His black hair highlighted by bright magenta on the ends of the strands, covered underneath a hood and blocking sight of his dark green robes similar to those worn by a Jedi, finished with a majestic sash of black with gold leafy patterns; worn from the left shoulder to his right armpit. His soft voice directed at the girl came out as calm and yet straightforward.

"Nora." he told the girl. "That is a cup of nerf juice."

"Duh!" The bombastic woman, Nora, shrugged off the obvious fact. "It's supposed to be good for you!" She drooped the cup and rubbed her tummy after a nice drink of the juice.

"Not unless it hasn't reached its expiration date." Ren spoke again. Nora's eyes then widened in bewilderment.

"PHFFTT!" It was too late. She had drunk the entire drink. When she spat it all out, it only came out as tiny drops of the substance mixed with her saliva. "Yuck! ECK!" The vendor at the stand smacked his forehead in ridicule. This girl clearly had the mind of a hungry chubba frog; just constantly munching or devouring on things without any consideration. Nora went around and slammed the empty mug on the counter, staring wildly at the Bith. "I demand a refund!"

Seeing how alarmed the Bith was towards her reaction, the man came forth, pushed her aside and dropped in a few more credits. He then shifted his hand over to take another mug of the nerf juice, still expired, but did so without hesitation.

"I apologize, sir." he told the vendor. "She's just… Well, **her**." The vendor snatched up the money from the counter and turned around, not wanting to see the two any longer.

" _Just make sure you keep her away from my stall or you monks will not be getting your ingredients from me for long._ " His warning sounded coarse and cross, telling the monk that he was indeed very moody today. Perhaps it was not just Nora who was being such a troublemaker that made his day. Life in Jedha can be cruel to some, and if you can make it here, well, consider yourself only fortunate for a while before you start losing your earnings.

After that more-than-awkward interaction, the two unlikely friends went away from the stall and proceeded to walk on with the drink and a little more money wasted due to Nora's lack of control. The monk took one good look at his counterpart, seeing the pissed-off expression on her face.

"Nora. Please control yourself next time." Nevertheless, he just reminded her to be more aware of what she was doing next time. The way he did it, though, was like he had been saying the exact same thing all the time, growing tired of explaining to her of why she had to stop doing the things she did.

"Control? Please, Renny! You should know me by now." Nora suddenly erupted in her usual happy self, instantly shaking off her anger for the lousy drink she devoured. For some reason, however, the one named Ren; his real name, had to grin at the sight of her cheerful expression.

"Come on." He shifted his head forward to let her follow him to his destination. The two walked on; Nora's thoughts still on the unsavoury fluids in the jug. The sight of the milky brown mess with filth in the drink continued to give her the icky vibes in her mouth.

"Why do you even drink expired nerf juice anyway?" she directed her question to Ren.

"I didn't say it was a beverage." corrected Ren. "And it is not for me. It's supposed to be a gift for the Central Isopter. They need this as a refreshment to worship the dead."

"Eck! I can see why." Nora stuck her tongue, not just for the wretched taste of the spoilt milk, but also from envisioning those yellow-robed 'disk-heads' as Nora put it, using the disgusting liquid in their less than sadistic rituals. "I still don't get why you guys even help those death-obsessed cultists." With the wiggle of his index finger, Ren was quick to remind her of her misconduct of words.

"Now, Nora." His voice filled with tolerance, informing Nora of the free will of everyone's prayers in the Force. "Every worshipper here has a right to believe in what they want. As long as they hope to achieve…"

"Yeah, yeah. Oneness with the Force, yaddy yadda!" interrupted Nora, fiddling with her fingers like a mouth, continuing Ren's sentence with a tired cliché-busting tone. "Are all people here that fond of that magical stuff?" She then retorted, clueless at how significant the power of the Force was to Ren and his fellow worshippers. Nora was just not the type to delve into creepy mystical superstitions or anything, only respecting Ren's decision to believe in them without getting too caught in them. Ren couldn't blame her though; she had not met or even seen a Jedi before, so she was well unaware of how real these tremendous powers really were.

"That depends." He grinned back, referring to the other, non-believing side of Jedha; the dark side of the city itself with crime and manipulation happening almost from plain sight without the Republic's knowledge. Ren thought it was rather unfortunate that the Jedi no longer influenced the law of the city. Now, everywhere you go in the city, there was always a crooked mind just waiting to profit out of your misfortunes. Even the worshippers themselves were not to be considered innocent when things get rough.

And just when they were on their way to deliver their goods, trouble had indeed found its way to them. Nora picked up the sounds of rough brushing noises like someone being dragged across the sandy floor, along with the crashing sounds of pottery being smashed apart. She was sure Ren heard the noise as well, seeing that he had stopped to hear what the fuss was all about.

"Hey!" Nora pulled the soft right sleeve of his hide-made clothes. "What's going on over there?" Ren didn't need to hear from Nora; he was already well aware that there was a troublemaker on the loose, and he certainly could use a little R&R from her outrageous hyperactive beat-downs to result to his own calculated and calmer methods of settling matters.

"Nora." He took out a piece of paper; the list of the other goods needed to be bought, hoping that Nora would go and get distracted with other chores while he investigated the scuffle. "Go get the rest of the stuff here." Nora's face was riddled with utter frustration. It was getting very typical of Ren to try to make her stand in the side-lines. It didn't really get old for her, still trying to plead to her best friend to let her join in the fun. "Aww! But I wanna…!"

"Now." Ren was not going to remind her again; when he meant business, he **really** meant it. Not even the likes of Nora could argue with Ren whenever he put his fierce look on. She finally gave up begging to work with him, taking the list with a grain of salt to proceed to the more boring stuff to do.

"Fine!" She shrugged her shoulders, cross that Ren had decided to push her away again from the fun stuff. Just like that, she walked off to do the list while Ren allowed himself the time and effort to resolve the situation his way.

He decided to disregard the gathering audience, surrounding around the chaos like a herd of shaak grazing about a small patch of Nabooian nola grass. Once he stepped into the crowd, he gently coursed his hand at front, brushing through the spectators, sliding through them without even caring about what they might say or do. All that mattered was that there was a life in danger and it was by his code to help him. Through enough of the crowd, he was able to get a good look at what was going on.

Right on the dirt, he saw what seemed to be a brutal beat-down. On the left side, a man, frail and thin, wearing shabby clothes, backing away on the ground while desperately begging for his life to the other tougher, bigger looking Feeorin. The tentacle-headed brawler had a blaster armed in one hand; finger tightly wrapped around the trigger and aiming the weapon right at the helpless human. His jaws shifted like two tectonic plates of a planet, grinding ever so violently within a grin so vile, showing the brute's desire for the kill; the thrill of the hunt.

"Please, sir!" the poor man screamed for his life. "I only ask to seek guidance in the Force! Do not hurt me or my family!" The bounty hunter continued to stare viciously into the man's grief-stricken face, poised to strike at the moment whenever he so desired. Sensing the situation, Ren knew that was going to happen really soon…

"Too bad, you dirty little peasant." the Feeorin growled with no mercy in his deadbeat low voice. "Viceroy Gunray of the Trade Federation has put a hefty price on your head for exposing the whereabouts of his prized treasures to the Republic. And I am going to have the honour of getting what I want."

Ren was disgusted by the hunter's cold-blooded demeanour. Every time a scoundrel came to desecrate the sacred city by harming its citizens or vandalizing structures of importance, he always felt the need to kick them out and made sure that they'd never set foot on the city again. He had to act now, or if he was too late, he would never forgive himself for letting an innocent soul die, no matter how involved he or she had been in the outer affairs of the galaxy.

"I didn't mean to!" the man begged again. "I just wanted to pay up for my family!" It seemed clear that the man was once a former citizen of the Republic or at least someone in league with it. Once he had done the deed, he had been given the credits to sustain himself and his family, but decided to end up on a dry world like this just to hide, using the power of prayer to defend him from sin or wrong. Unfortunately, he was probably unaware that nothing, not even the power of the Force, could save him from being hunted down by crooked beings. The only thing sacred to a bounty hunter was money, and they were going to get it; Force or not.

"You'll pay, alright!" The Feeorin cracked a gleeful grin, fully showing his satisfaction of the man's sorrow. Saying no more, he steadied his aim right at the man's head, about to end his life and to get the credits he needed. Ren couldn't help but find the audience's stoic reactions rather predictable. Just gasps and the turning of bodies away from the gruesome sight that was about to come; even some prayers sung by some of the priests. Not one willing to act against the incoming murder.

Then, from out of nowhere, one voice came from a person who was willing to stand up to the hunter. It wasn't Ren's.

"The Trade Federation has no say here." The voice sounded more mature, sounding wise and calm. The section of the crowd where the man had come from began to give way, only out of curiosity of the man and not the act of allowing him through for good intent. The man who arrived was a human male, dressed in the same robes as Ren, with hair almost shorter than his.

What were the highlights of his appearance were the pair of eyes; irises completely greyed, while having to walk with a long, metal cane. It was no surprise to anyone present that the man was blind. "Everyone you see here are all believers of the Force. They have a right to be here to pray upon the higher power." As he presented himself to the bounty hunter, Ren watched with silent glee, clearly knowing the man himself.

"What do you know, you short-sighted heretic?" The Feeorin bellowed in disgust over the zealotry the man was showering him with. What aggravated him even more was the next reaction the man gave when he was told off.

"Short-sighted?" A wide grin was cracked. "Hah! I'm blind! I do not need sight to know my way around!" The very milky irises didn't have to move; his head was still locked onto the hunter just as he was precisely spot on with his presence. The brightly humour that came out of him was enough to turn Ren's initial frown upside down, finding the wise crack of the joke almost amusing to him. This was all too familiar to him with the older man giving him the peace of mind that would affect his life in the Holy City and his beliefs; forever grateful of what he had to offer.

"Same old Chirrut." But the fun didn't last long. All of a sudden, the bounty hunter came forth in a rush and grabbed the monk by the collar, carrying him up in the air in a threatening grip, teeth gritting with fury. Ren was alerted by the attack on his old friend, feeling the situation was already escalating past the point. Soon, the crowd dispersed, panicked by the sudden thrust of the hunter at the seemingly harmless man.

"You dare mock me?!" the hunter yelled. Chirrut was surprisingly not relenting in the approach, just letting his arms loose with very little fear in his face. The Feeorin saw this lack of emotion as another sign of mockery that his threats were not fazing him one bit. He then curled his hand into a thick fist, ready to punch right at Chirrut's face. Yet, the blind man still relaxed himself, insulting the hunter even more. The Feeorin was almost reaching his boiling point, bringing his fist back to land a solid, fatal blow to Chirrut's soft face.

"Let him go." Ren had had enough. He was going to rescue his senior friend from being battered to the bone by the Feeorin. At once, he walked away from the spectators towards the larger brute. Everyone watched as the young man braved the threat posed by the hunter with a mixture of emotions running wild throughout.

"Ah! Ren!" Chirrut welcomed the presence of his fellow monk with another cheery smile. "You have finally arrived!"

"Great! Now they multiply!" groaned the hunter. He dropped Chirrut to the ground and went to face the seemingly emotionless Ren with the same ferocity shown to Chirrut. Ren stepped forward to face the hunter head on.

"Remember, Ren!" Chirrut encouraged his friend with the same usual advice he would always give him. "The Force is with you, and…"

"I am with the Force." The call of the Guardians of the Whills. Ren finished with a slow breath of Jedha's dirty air, still enough to calm his mind before the hostile exchange. Right in front of him, the hunter stood, tall with intimidation, looking down on him showing all of his might and visual brutality. Brain was going against brawn between a titan and a lightweight.

"You best get your buddy out of here if you know what's good for you and let me claim my prize." The last word cooked up a storm of shivers in the weaker man's body. His threats, however, didn't seem to hit Ren in the spot as he defied him with no intention to run.

"You will leave that man alone." warned the young disciple of the Guardians, with a bit of waving of his right hand. The hunter scoffed with a taunting spit to the ground soon after.

"What are you? Some kind of Jedi?" the Feeorin chuckled, not bothering to know the difference between a Jedi and what he really was. "I'm immune to your little mind tricks."

"Oh! We are not Jedi!" Chirrut interjected, dusting off the sand on his clothes from his fall. "We are far different."

"What he said." agreed Ren before giving the bounty hunter another warning. "You best get out of here and forget your bounty. There can be nothing to achieve here by committing violence." The stern tone in his voice was almost as firm as the local constable, but it wasn't enough to deter a hunter of the size he was faced with.

"But you forget, monk." reminded the hunter. "Jedha City is not always the holy gathering of you and your outdated kind had come to believe."

"I am well aware of the crimes done here, but there's no question that you are standing on grounds that belong to the wilful prayers of noble intent." defended Ren. His resolution for peace and tolerance for all was now becoming more of a nuisance to the hunter. Someone who was so gracious to everyone who came to pray and find peace was only a zealous obstacle in the path of a hunter's prize, and Ren was proving to be far more irritating for the hunter. His semi-slimy skin almost dried from the temper he was losing with this annoying brat in the way.

"Hmph! In this galaxy, nowhere is sacred, pal! I've lived long enough to see such 'wonderful' things like your little backwater civilization fall like dominoes." Having lost his nerve, the bounty hunter cocked his pistol and directed it at Ren. He was tempted to pull the trigger and be rid of the dusty piece of dirt away from his sight and be on his way to claim his money. "So, if you don't move right now, I'll put a laser shot to that poisoned brain of yours!"

The barrel of the gun pointing right at his forehead; one shot could be the end of him. The bulk of the blaster indicating that that one shot was going make him one heck of a mess. No one could imagine why the man refused to move at all. Ren just stood in place; not backing down from a fight. A life was protected by the Force and right now, someone was trying to claim his life and be damned by a gruesome darkness that was plaguing the galaxy elsewhere. He refused to relent, not even to a mere bounty hunter.

"Is my mind the one that's poisoned?" His bright magenta eyes gleaming coldly at the monster in front of him; his tone, powerful and just, showing the hunter just how fallen he really was. "Or is it yours?"

Thick jaws were clashing with each other and the squiggly tentacles swung violently as the bounty hunter roared with anger, terrifying the crowd into running. Ren could had sworn he could feel drops of his saliva dripped on his clothes. Repulsive as it was, the hunter was someone far more revolting and needed to be taught a lesson.

"Why you?!" And so, the battle between two opposite combatants began. One, a titanic tower of brute strength with an attitude to match, and the other, a man smaller in size, but big in heart and mind, backed by the will of the Force to guide him.

The Feeorin made the first move, charging forth like a reek beast lusting for flesh. The sandy ground practically rocked with his heavy steps, threatened to charge straight for Ren. A mistake that Ren easily identified. When the hunter swung his arm for a swipe at his face, the monk made one huge leap over him, soaring right above his head right before the Feeorin's limb struck nothing. Ren landed gracefully on the ground as the hunter turned around to much bewilderment.

It was either the Feeorin warrior blood of the ancient Exalted in him that prompted him to charge forth, or simply a discriminative assumption that Ren was an old model, bent on fighting with nothing more than his bare hands or any weapon of ancient background. The monk was able to outmanoeuvre his opponent with the first move so far, thanks to the lack of foresight by the hunter into what he was capable of.

The bounty hunter was quick to learn of his mistake and fired his blaster at the young monk. A burst of energy particles spread out, almost able to catch Ren no matter where he would be. That, however, was when he pulled off a quick trick. Almost immediately, he reached his foot out to hook his toes onto an old pot and swung it forward. The shots from the blaster broke the piece of pottery into fragments of sharp hardened clay; its fatal energy dispelled and thus, saving Ren from harm.

The show was not over yet; the hunter then fired another round at him. With nothing left to protect him, Ren had to rely on a more trusted asset that had served him well for all his life. At once, the young Guardian took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. Then, right when the shots came, he sprang into action. In one burst of speed, he charged right for the hunter while letting the laser fire pass right through him. He dodged each shot, stepping from side to side while the shots only went through under his limbs or just over him.

He avoided contact from each and every one of the blaster fire, without a single scratch on his clothes, catching the Feeorin by surprise. He was beyond baffled by how he could have missed a single shot and was now heading right for him. It was all so fast that he didn't react on time when Ren gave him a hard kick to the face.

After the kick, Ren stopped to look at his foe, awaiting any sign of regret from the Feeorin that might finally realize just how capable he was. Much to his disappointment, there was no stopping the hunter. Now, fury grew rapidly within the Feeorin. It was bad enough that his blaster didn't hit the monk, but being kicked in the face by him, that was a low blow even for him. He continued to vent his anger out on Ren, fists ready to smash him up to nothing more than a blob of nothingness.

The hunter tried again and aimed his weapon at Ren. This time, the human came prepared to intensify the fight. He grabbed a pair of small daggers, blades shaped like sickles and built with a jade-like metal that was hard as steel and not too sharp, capable of slicing through flesh but powerful enough to knock anyone around. With its durable plating, the daggers obstructed the blasts with each swing of Ren's arms, dissipating each shot with precision and grace. After the blaster finished firing, Ren quickly sought the opportunity and made another dashing move on the larger opponent. The hunter, despite his large structure, proved to be quite nimble and agile, being able to block Ren's resumed strikes on him by swinging his broad arms with surprising speed. After three unsuccessful strikes, Ren jumped out of the way before the Feeorin's arm nearly struck him on the head. Yet, that didn't stop Ren from resuming his offensive, not giving the hunter any time to use his more reliable weapon.

Chirrut, who was taking care of the victim of the hunter, should know first-hand of the unique battle style of Lie Ren. The lad was skilled, practicing and excelling well in the art of _zama-shiwo_. Ren would come early in the morning to the temple to tune his body form, sync within his inner self and bring out the power of his combined strength to unleash full blows to whoever he fought or sparred against. However, what made Ren unpredictable was how he was able to blend the ancient martial art of the moon with the battle-like hunting style once sacred to his family.

Ren had let his body feel the surrounding aura around him, and let it course through him; the common routine of channelling strength within the Guardians of the Whills. Through this focused power, he let his agility and precise hits deliver strong and encumbering blows to the hunter, nearly knocking him off his feet with every couple of strikes.

The hunter was able to endure enough to keep his feet on the ground, but Ren's rapid moves were not helping him even the odds, forcing him to block off as much as he could before able swiping him off. Ren then went for the gap between the Feeorin's legs and slid right under, just before he could slam him to the ground with his fists. Turning around after sliding, he then gave the hunter one powerful kick to his backside; this time managing to send him to the ground. The Feeorin's face was soon buried into the sand, groans muffled.

All of the other spectators watching the spectacle was in awe on how Ren was able to avoid being clobbered by the heavy build of the hunter. Supposedly, it would had been an easy fight for the Feeorin, being able to outclass and outgun his more outdated opponent. Turned out they were so wrong. Ren was far more capable of bringing his all against an enemy twice his size and weight. The rumours about the Guardians seemed to be true after all.

The hunter was then pushed down to the ground by a swift tackle to the face; Ren's force uprooting the giant's large body off his feet again before rolling away. After the heavy collapse, the Feeorin twisted his body and fired more of his blaster at Ren. The Guardian vaulted over a rock fence and took cover. The hunter's rage levels were at an all-time high, causing the Feeorin to let loose a rapid barrage of laser fire right towards Ren's cover. The monk was now pinned down behind a sturdy rock wall that was slowly breaking apart, threatening to expose him from the blaster shots.

Now, it all seemed hopeless for Ren. The amount of heat coming towards was about finally break the wall apart and leave him vulnerable to a hasty end. The cracks and holes on the wall were now becoming larger openings that would eventually catch Ren's figure and finally shoot him down.

There was no other way for Ren to turn to but to jump right over and take on the bounty hunter, relying on his inner instincts to drive him through the maelstrom of blaster fire. Again and again, he launched his body from side to side to avoid the blitzing blazes of lasers, eventually getting closer to the hunter once more. This time, he had resorted to using his daggers to discourage his opponent. The daggers were soon swung towards him and hit their mark, only to be blocked off by a pair of metal gauntlets worn around the hunter's wrists. A fistfight ensued with both sides resulting to hands slamming and blades trying to cut. It was almost an even fight between two fighters of different builds.

"Not bad, monk boy!" the hunter bellowed. "But you still ain't got a chance against me!"

"I don't really think you should be concerned about your brawn alone." quipped Ren. "You're only half the fighter you are at best."

"I'll use my head, alright." The hunter arched his body to the back and thrust it forward towards Ren, going to head-butt him into submission. "For this!" The force of the blow would be quite a royal pain if Ren wasn't quick enough. It came down like a bomb, not explosive, but still powerful enough to obliterate the bones inside of the common human skull.

Yet again, Ren was already one step ahead of him. With a trust of both of his hands, he met the bulky head of the Feeorin, with full power. Channelling the energy in his body, he made one focused attempt to block off the attack, surprising most of the shocked crowd. No one would imagine him even keeping his arms from such a strong head-butt.

Alas, he did. With only his palms, he managed to stop the hunter's head from crashing into his own. His right leg was stretched back while his other leg knelt him down to make him stable enough to pull off a skilled defence. It seemed impossible that only the hands of a feebler human stopped the colossal weight of a Feeorin's head, and yet, Ren was able to save himself from a rough headache. The Feeorin himself felt his head like being lifted up by a fluffy cloud in his way and feeling not a single solid object other than the fleshy surface of Ren's hands. It was possibly from Ren's own technique that probably nullified all strength and force from his attack. There were no words to describe how Ren had done it, but the Feeorin was sure astonished by the unexpected block.

After stopping the head-butt, Ren moved his hand back and fired away with one sharp prod of two of his fingers towards his forehead. The strike hit so hard that the hunter was boosted off the ground and crashed down hard on his back. When he landed, he felt his brain was swirling around so violently as if a storm was bombarding his head with lightning bolts all around. A sudden surge of power from Ren's own fingers had dealt a major blow to him, now pinning him down with not much of a sign of getting back up.

The crowd fell silent when they saw the raw power of Ren's fighting skills downed the larger hunter. In an amazing but unlikely show of force, the truth of the power of the Guardians had been proven right before them. Did they really have the power of the Force like the Jedi did? Not many could ever challenge a being that big and win; only those gifted with such power could fight off such brutes like that. But they heard the other Guardian speak that they were not Jedi, so apparently they had something else to do with the Force.

For now, Ren had not time to answer their curiosity. He carefully watched the hunter squirm around, body becoming absolutely numb due to the stunning effects of his attack; eyesight flashed out and his wounds temporarily unfelt. Ren walked over to the downed hunter and looked down on his pained face. The pain was slowly coming back to him as he regained his senses, adding to the fury of finally seeing the person who defeated him with humiliation and anger. However, Ren placed his foot on top of the chest area, almost ready to make another round if there was any more opposition. He put up a sly grin, somewhat enlightened with saving a life this time.

"Now, what do you wish to do?" he asked the bounty hunter, leaning his arm on top of his knee while facing him. With Ren's victorious stance, the hunter soon squirmed some more, more frantically as if frightened by the warrior in disguise.

"Y-you win! Just… let me go!" He exclaimed in a panic, desperate to get out and hunt another day. Ren, satisfied with the answer, released his hold on him and headed for Chirrut to see if he and the victim were alright. The older monk had managed to let the poor man run off to safety while facing his fellow Guardian with glee.

"Watch out!" That joy was cut short when Chirrut shouted out, pointing behind Ren, but there was no time to react. Another powerful explosion rocked the dirt, flinging sand towards Ren's eyes. The blinded warrior monk was unable to shake the stinging feeling in his eyes, forcing him to close them shut. While they were closed, he was unable to see what was coming for him until it was too late.

A nasty hit on his face sent him sprawling across the ground and eventually stopped with nauseating pain in his head. Chirrut was also knocked out of the fight when he too suffered a blind hit to the chest, throwing him to a building and knocking him down. Ren struggled to get himself back up, but could only move his head to see what had hit him.

He was almost shocked to see that his attack didn't deter the hunter at all. The Feeorin was standing tall and arrogantly again, as if he hadn't given up, except that his head was still spinning as evident by him holding his head exactly where he was hit earlier. It was almost disappointing that he decided to cheat his defeat and straight up attack Ren after his false conceding.

Now, it was the Feeorin's turn to tower above his fallen opponent, grabbing him by the collar and lifting him up to his face. With a toothy grin, the hunter then aimed his blaster right at his forehead; finger ready to pull the trigger and properly end the monk's life for good. The wretched stench of his breath made Ren's face cringe a little, probably would have made him cough up with disgust if it weren't for his body trying to relieve the excruciating pain on his face.

"Any last words, you wretched filth?" gloated the Feeorin with a grunt. Ren's eyes couldn't open properly, but were still staring down on the hunter's face. With a strained voice, he soon whispered one last word to the hunter before he could finally see the end of his quiet life.

"Watch out." That was all he said. Not knowing what he meant, the Feeorin didn't really have time to find out, focused on ending this miserable fool's life. Ren, however, made one small grin, waiting for the right time for his warning to take effect…

With the loudest battle cry this side of the galaxy had ever heard.

"HHHIIIYYYAAAA!"

 **BBOOOMM!**

A huge dust cloud blew up throughout the street, engulfing everyone within the area with sand. For a solid minute, everyone was blinded by the sandstorm, not knowing what happened and what would happen next. Once cleared, the whole scene was revealed to show what had transpired after that loud boom.

"Ehhh…" The Feeorin was down on the ground again, face flat in the sand thanks to some miraculous bombardment. Ren was back on the ground, lying while adjusting his collar from the bounty hunter's grip on it. He then grasped his head to massage the pain while getting back up to see what just happened.

To his usual relief, help did come in the wildest way possible.

"NO ONE TOUCHES MY RENNY!" Above the fallen body of the hunter, there stood Nora Valkyrie, stepping onto his back victoriously with a grenade launcher in her arm; silver-coated with a large cylindrical magazine at the centre with grenade rounds loaded into it and a scope on top. She slung the launcher on top of her shoulder while her other hand touched her hip in a glorious show of victory.

She vowed to not let a single hair on Ren be pulled by a fat, ugly hunter. She was going to protect him with all her life. Buddies stick together to the end, she thought, and she was not afraid to show it. There was no way she would lose Ren in anyway, not even from a distant walk to the market.

However, her gloating wasn't going to last for long. Ren motioned his head to ask her to come over so she could stop showing off in the middle of the crowd. Surely enough, no one was really cheering, but more shock and fright than joy. Everyone soon began to scramble about, like nothing had ever happened. Nora pouted with disappointment, spoiled that her moment was ruined by everyone else's ignorance of her actions.

She jumped down from the hunter, who was thankfully unconscious, and headed over to join Ren and Chirrut.

" _Ee chuta._ " cursed Nora in Huttese while glaring at the Feeorin.

"Good work, Ren." praised the older Guardian. "That man was a vile being. He needed to have what came to him." Ren nodded in approval, glad that he managed to defuse a situation before it got hectic.

Chirrut then listened to the rustling sand coming for him. Recognizing the pattern of how the sand crusted and feeling the energy of each step through his intuitive senses, he could easily recognize the person as Ren's good friend, without having to see at all. He then turned to face Nora, seeing her sudden return to cheerful form. Nevertheless, he greeted "And you, Miss Valkyrie. You have quite the power! You should meet my friend one day. He's one heck of a brawler himself."

"Ahh! Come on!" She shrugged her shoulders and flicked her hand down as to dismiss his advice. "You know Ren's the only pal I need!"

"You are sure lucky, Ren." added Chirrut. "This young lady has the fight of a tusk-cat!" Ren was not usually one to joke or crack even a wise quip, but when it came to Nora, he knew when to at least find some humour.

"But with the control of a rancor, she just can't keep herself calm for two seconds." The two Guardians laughed as Nora gave Ren a rough friendly whack on the back; not painful but surely strong enough to move his body forward. Ren then signalled for Nora to hand him the groceries, assuming that Nora was paying attention to the task she was given before her timely intervention. Forunately, Nora managed to do what needed to be done, taking with her a crate of the stuff that Ren wanted her to buy.

All done without a single mishap… Well, maybe a few arguments here and there…

"Well, I gotta go and deliver these supplies to the Isopter." Ren bid his farewell to Chirrut, ready to resume his delivery to the other residents with Nora. "I'll see you soon, Chirrut."

"May the Force guide you on your path, Lie Ren!" Chirrut reached for his staff, remembering where it was, after wishing his friend goodbye. Ren and Nora both left the blind man to wander around again and patrol the city for any disturbances.

On their way, Ren had to wonder about Nora's sudden interference of the matter he had under control, even if he was almost clobbered by the hunter. Nora was assuming Ren was going to complain about her hyperactive tantrum towards fights again, chortling her for being too reckless to pursue an enemy and even showing off to end the debacle.

"Nora." He spoke up and Nora was waiting to hear it all, right down to the morale of the story…

"I know! I know! Control myself. Get the list done and be on my merry way. I know… what you're going to say! And I should know because…!"

"Actually." Ren stopped her with a low and gentle voice. "I just wanted to say thank you. For watching my back." Nora was almost stunned from the unexpected response, though it was not the first time Ren had decided to go all nice on her so randomly. At least, she thought it was random considering that everything she did was pretty much the same thing; smash the baddy and win the day. Most times, she'd end up getting lectured, but sometimes, she just couldn't get why Ren would even compliment her on a usual beat-down like that.

"We're best buds, Ren!" It didn't really matter, just as long as she got his approval, she would ravel in the victory. "Why wouldn't I ever get your back, huh?"

"Just as long as you don't hammer me down with that attitude of yours." The monk then gave a playful 'boop' to her nose, gently poking it which tickled the hyper girl.

"D'oh!" And so, they both moved on to finish off their supply deliveries, traversing through the messy streets of the city.

At least life was doable in Jedha, for the city still a decent lifestyle for everyone; baths provided sustainable hygiene while foods were averagely edible, but crime did have its way around. If any imbalance should arise, then society as they knew it would surely fall into darkness far shadier than the Old Shadows. It's almost fortunate the moon had been declared under the protection of the Republic, respecting its neutrality from the Clone War that threatened the galaxy from afar.

However, not everything was safe for long… Ren knew something was going to happen; he just wasn't sure what it would be. He wouldn't have to wait long, however. The day would come for him to fulfil a role huger than ever before, and when that time came, he would be ready.

* * *

Ren was soon summoned back to the Temple of the Kyber after his supply drop off to the Isopter. He was called on by Chirrut that the Master Guardian wished to see him for something. It was usually a report on anything that had happened that might had upset the balance of the Force in the city, or just another training session with the young man.

Despite Nora not being one of the Guardians, she was still welcome within the temple as a special guest; an honour she had been given ever since she and Ren first arrived here so long ago.

He entered the ancient complex of the temple that once belonged to the Jedi Order that settled here long ago. Now, it was being resided by beings from different corners of the galaxy who came together to preserve the integrity of both the temple and the inhabitants of the city. Dozens of individuals had come to the temple to play a role in the Force that wasn't as significant as those of the Jedi, or even the Sith, but still offered a task to defend those who believe in its power.

The temple was home to two distinct groups of Force protectors who worked together to maintain the balance of the Force present in the city. There were the Guardians of the Whills and the Disciples of the Whills.

What separated the Guardians from the Disciples was the way the Guardians approached their belief in the Force. The Disciples were more or less watchers, always remaining on close watch for the balance of the city; the Guardians do the protecting, ensuring that everyone in Jedha was safely free to pray and worship, and would answer the call to act when an imbalance threatened to destroy the fabric of balance within the Will of the Force.

Ren felt that his physical training prior to his arrival in Jedha had naturally given him the chance to become more of a Guardian, so once he arrived, he began the path to achieving oneness with the Force through defending the needy and assurance of worshipping and fighting against those who threatened them. To him, the Guardians were practically the authority of the city.

He walked on along the red carpet that stretched from the main entrance to the other end of the large hallway. All around him, a few of his fellow Guardians and some other Disciples were conversing with one another, sharing information and battle tactics. The Disciples wore rather traditional robes; some with hoods and colourful sashes, while the Guardians mainly wore more durable and thicker clothing meant for combat. Despite his status as a Guardian, Ren always preferred the lighter wear, as it would help him become more agile and manoeuvrable when fighting, even as those like Chirrut were able to master speed with heavier clothing.

He didn't have time to interact with the others, passing through who appeared to be Kozem Pel, one of the Disciples who was talking to another Guardian, sharing some insight of what he felt about a certain issue in the city.

Ren reached for the stone doors and pushed them open to head into the other room. Nora remained in place, crossing her arms while standing in front of the door like some bodyguard, cautiously looking around for trouble. Ren found it quite unnecessary, but he didn't really have time to control Nora's behaviour. He had to see the one who had called him into the temple.

In the new room, it was a slimmer interior than the hallway before, with a flight of stairs up a platform, where a robed figure was sitting cross-legged on the platform, basking in the glow of the sunlight entering through the window. With her face covered with a metal mask and wearing a thick red robe that covered all layers of skin, she constantly stared into the sun-lit sky while awaiting the arrival of Ren. On both sides, incense was burning on two trays backed by a candlestick on each side burning dimly within the bright light of Jedha's day.

"Lie Ren." the Anomid spoke, using the digital voice projected by her vocoder mask through translations of her own harmonic humming. "Please, be seated." She turned to face the young man while he sat down below the stairs attentive to her word. The Anomid waved her hands as she talked on, probably due to her prior experience with using sign language to communicate before she had her electronic communicator.

"Do you wish to see me, Disciple Phest?" Ren inquired. The head of the Disciples sat silent for a while. The brief moment of quietness seemed to tell him that Silvanie Phest had something really heavy carrying her down. The way she turned her head down for a brief few seconds was a sign that she was hesitant to go on. For what was worth, when she's unable to proceed like this, it usually meant that there was trouble of the worst kind. Ren had dealt with these kind of troubles before and right now, he was prepared to listen in to what she had in mind.

When Phest continued, Ren's training was about to be put to the test. She had prepared something for him that would see if he would be able to solve a problem that would upset the balance of the Force and come home a true Guardian who helped to fix it.

"There has been a disturbance within our circle." Ren's eyes widened, curious to know what troubled the inner workings of the Guardians and Disciples alike. When Phest said there was a disturbance, more than often or not, it meant a really serious problem.

"What is it, Phest?" the monk asked even more, pushed to find out what was the matter. Phest then fiddled her finger at Ren for being too inquisitive, feeling the intensity within himself.

"Do restrain your anxiety, Lie Ren." he advised him. "One must not be too eager to act. Even if one's intentions are noble." Ren bowed his head to apologize for taking his emotions a little too far. Perhaps being around Nora had some effect to his patience. He did his best so far to suppress any temptation to play his part, composing his energy to meditate and channel his body to let the Force flow through him and calm his mind. "If you must know, there has been a troublesome matter among the Disciples." Phest rose up and looked back at the bright scenery of the afternoon sky to inform Ren what had happened.

"A long time ago, a Disciple had broken the laws of our cause and stole an artefact once held sacred to the Jedi. He escaped Jedha soon after and disappeared into the galaxy without a trace left." Ren had heard this tale many times before, by the other Guardians. And now, Phest was retelling the story again, meaning that there was more significance in the fact that required his attention. "The artefact is said to hold power beyond anything we have ever felt and it showed even by nearing it within our archives. If it falls into the wrong hands, it could cause immense destruction to countless systems."

"And you have sent me." Ren stopped himself before he could go any further, remembering to control himself from asking more. Phest then turned around to tell him of how all of this played to him, probably to inform him of what he needed to do about the artefact. Ren could sense the fear inside of her, suggesting a detail that has come to her and was giving her all sorts of chills.

"I fear that the artefact may have resurfaced." Now, Ren was filled with the same worrying feeling inside of him as hers. With such a dangerous power out there in the open, he knew things were not going to be the same ever again. Out there, where a galaxy was at the brink of war, anything wrong could happen at any time. "One of our Disciples has met with someone who is believed to have found a lead to the artefact. At least as far as he is informed. He shall provide us the details to uncover what we may have to find it."

"Then, if you don't mind me asking…?" Ren felt that he was getting out of it again, but this time, he didn't have to worry as he felt that he was allowed to speak his mind. "What does that have to do with me?"

"Shouldn't it be obvious?" Silvaline stepped forward, descending down the stairs to meet up with the human who was always so loyal to the Guardians and her Disciples. She had faith that his devotion shall carry them forward into reclaiming such an important piece of history and prevent the forces of darkness from retrieving it from themselves. She put her whole belief in his abilities and with his physical traits, she thought she had the right choice. "You shall help in delivering the artefact to us."

Ren could not believe his ears when she gave the task of giving the artefact back to the Temple. He could not apprehend the idea that he was chosen out of everyone, even Chirrut who he felt was more capable of dealing with the more drastic ordeals, to retrieve such an important relic to the Guardians and Disciples. Why was he picked to perform something of this level? He hadn't really felt like he was that trusted enough to do such a mission.

There were a lot of questions in his head that he wanted to ask, but he knew he had to try and compose himself and let Phest speak about his task.

"You have proven yourself to be exceptional within the Guardians, and we feel that you can help us restore peace by gaining this artefact and return it to us. Your training has served you well, my old friend." Phest had gained much trust in Ren after what he had done to ensure that peace was secured in the city, and she knew how much the other residents of the temple thought so too. She was willing to take the risk and send one of the best of the temple to locate and bring back the relic before the dark side clamps its deadly jaws upon the galaxy.

Ren, on the other hand, was still unsure if he was even worthy of upholding such a responsibility. He was only getting through with the basic level of Guardian mastery and yet, he was selected to go on this special mission to bring balance to the Force. It was all very heavy for the monk and he wasn't sure if he could actually get it done.

Nevertheless, he prepared himself to devote himself to the Guardians and help secure the balance in the Force, to repel any dark influence left behind by the war that was about to rock the galaxy with corruption. So, composing himself to bear the burden of the Force on his shoulders, he accepted his task, wanting to bring peace and security to those around him. He stood back up and bowed to the Disciple, confirming his acceptance of the mission given to him.

"I will do what I can." he acknowledged. "But on one condition." He felt that the mission needed something he felt was not complete without. Phest silently awaited what that condition was, wondering what could be missing that he needed for this special mission.

"Seeing that Nora has had experience outside of Jedha, I would like to bring her along with me on this task." It was rather an unusual request from Ren. No doubt that he would depend on Nora for company, but the idea of bringing her to official Guardian business was somewhat questionable. The young Valkyrie was never one to believe in the 'superstitious' kind of crazy things out there in the galaxy, which was why Phest had some concerns when Ren suggested her to come along out of all people, even his fellow Guardians.

"Are you certain?" Phest asked the Guardian. He nodded, showing his insistence on bringing along his old friend to the adventure of a lifetime.

"I've never been anywhere outside the city, let alone the moon itself. Nora has, and she has been to the dangerous ones, too. I would learn to appreciate someone with the knowledge sustainable enough for me to travel. Plus, for all of her lack of control, she does have enough protection for me. I have no problem bringing her with me."

As difficult as it was for Phest to even tolerate Nora within the temple, there was one thing she was certain about; she deduced that Ren had a lot of trust in the seemingly disobedient brat. Surely after what she heard about what happened earlier at the streets near the temple, it was probably enough to accept the fact that Ren needed Nora to back him up in those 'dangerous places'.

"Very well." She finally granted permission to have Nora Valkyrie follow Ren to his mission to locate the missing relic before darkness got its hands on it and plunge the galaxy in turmoil. She had to remind, though, that there was much caution to bringing the girl with him on his mission.

"But be wary of your attachment to our good visitor, Ren. It shall prove to be your downfall if you do not become vigilant." Ren slowly fell quiet after her warning. This was when he was worried that she would indeed jeopardize the mission with her usual behaviour, resorting to combat at the very instance and make his mission harder to finish.

He decided to not let that stop him from bringing her along. If there was one thing that had kept him alive this long in the busy city, it was Nora, as much as he didn't really like to admit it. He could always rely on her like some miracle in the Force; always coming in the most unexpected of times to save his live like she did before he was about to be killed by that bounty hunter. Perhaps the Force works in mysterious ways and maybe Nora was one of those unexpected blessings he was happy to have anyway.

"I wouldn't really worry about controlling her, Phest." he assured. "I know how to keep her in place." Phest nodded, going with Ren's claim to put the warrior in her place if she was going to make any more trouble.

"Very well. You shall meet up with our informant on the planet Cantonica, in the city of Canto Bight where the rich thrive within the lights of prosperity." She then dug through her pocket to pull out a small necklace that had a crystal-like object tied to it. Ren grasped the necklace and tried to feel for whatever essence it might leave off. He could feel the dull power of the crystal inside of it, confirming that it wasn't a kyber crystal; the very power source of the Jedi's lightsaber. "This jewel shall take you to him, shining brightly as you near your objective."

Ren wore the necklace around his neck, preparing to let the Force guide him to his goal. He then looked to Phest and gave her a grateful bow to thank her for giving him the opportunity to help the galaxy become a peaceful place to live in.

"I shall not let you down, Phest." said the monk. "I promised my parents I won't fail the Force."

"Let the Force guide you, my friend." With the mission finally given, Ren left the Anomid to pursue his objective, to preserve the balance of the Force. When he walked out, he expected to see Nora already causing some mayhem in the temple; a common occurrence during her usual returns to the place. Surprisingly, she was just standing as she did when he entered Phest's chamber, still watching over the vicinity. When the stone doors closed shut, she turned to see Ren all ready to embark. She wrapped her hands around his neck, jubilant over what they should do next. Ren felt a little heavy by the embrace, as sweet as her intentions were, from his little beating from the Feeorin.

"So… what shall we do next?!" she asked him with joy blown over the roof again. Ren then took the crystal from underneath his garments and showed it to Nora, who was swooning at the sheer beauty of it, not that Ren thought it was any pretty. "Ooooohhh… Shiny!"

"This shall take us to our next destination." Nora was soon filled with overcharged excitement, anxious to know where in Jedha would Ren take her this time. "Do you know anything about the city of Canto Bight?" Then, her eyes were almost as big as a dianoga's, large enough to show how extremely excited she was when she heard Ren mentioning another city… **outside** of Jedha!

"Follow me!" At the speed of a hyperspace jump, she zoomed right outside the door, crashing right through it and shocking everyone in the hallway, especially Ren. He just watched on as the dust left behind drifted off and his fellow Guardians and Disciples just staring at the open entrance.

Ren had his mouth open a little, flabbergasted at the sudden burst of speed. It then changed to a grin, shaking his head over the predictability of Nora's antics. There was going to be a lot of havoc along the way to retrieving the lost artefact for the Temple of the Kyber, but at least he'd be glad, knowing that he had some company to watch over him. The balance of the Force was his to protect and restore. He had to remind himself…

The Force was with him, and he was one with the Force.

 **TO BE CONTINUED**

* * *

 **A/N~ So, after finally finding the young adult novel, _Guardians of the Whills_ , I was able to form some basic knowledge on how they function. Hopefully, I shall continue to read on and let the information help me write future chapters on Ren and Nora.**

 **Initially, I wanted Ren to be a Jedi Knight, serving as a big brother figure to Ruby. He would have been a Jedi who would have travelled the galaxy with Nora to help her do some crazy stuff, something like Kanan Jarrus from Rebels, a Jedi who wasn't confined to the Order's restrictions and was free to do the right thing without worries.**

 **But like Weiss, who I also originally wanted as a Jedi, it was a good opportunity to delve into something different, something a little unknown to most fans. So, whatever I could write in the future might not be accurate, but hopefully everything could still work.**

 **And that finally concludes the prologue chapters! We shall kick off with the first chapter for all characters as the Clone War comes to a start! Plus, as of today, I'm ready to watch The Last Jedi with the Malaysian SW Fan Club!**

 **No worries, no spoilers until time has passed. See you soon, and may the Force be with you!**


	8. The Shroud Falls

**A/N~ Okay, so when I said last chapter that I was going to make this chapter with ALL of the characters in it, I was sort of jumping the gun simply out of excitement over getting things forward with the main story. But then, that's when I found out that the chapter would have been SUPER long. I still feel that writing more than what I've written and uploaded in this chapter would end up dragging the readers for too long, since it's early into the story.**

 **I'll have the next chapter up as soon as possible, but I will have to also work on the other stories in my collection, so it won't be that soon. Hopefully still, I hope everyone will enjoy this chapter.**

 **Reviews**

 **ShadowMann**

 **Much appreciated, mann! And me too, I'm a big fan of both franchises as well** **Hope you'll keep on reading!**

 **And an extended thank you to venom1121, recalibrate, thegreatandillustriousLEADER, Red Renegade 777 and ShinP for the faves and follows!**

 **Also, starting from now, each chapter will start out with the same intro and narration style they would use for the Clone Wars series.**

 **EDIT: Oh, and by the way, Merry Christmas to everyone! Hope you all enjoy your holidays!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Shroud Falls**

 **War clouds everyone, even those with the noblest of intentions…**

' _War erupts! For the first time in a thousand years, the Republic prepares for war against the might of the Separatist Army led by Count Dooku and his droid army!_

 _Fearing more systems would fall to the hands of the clutches of the Separatists, the Republic prepares its new Grand Army to counter the increasing threat of its new enemy, as well as bringing in multiple heroes from across its space to combat the enemy and preserve peace for all!'_

* * *

Jedi Temple,

Coruscant,

Coruscant System,

Days have gone by since the dreadful news. Ruby could have never guessed what had occurred to the Jedi Order. In fact, no one her age or level had expected such an outcome to be reached. Surely, the younglings and Padawans were emotionally affected by the event, but it was plainly obvious that those above them, Knights like Velvet, and especially the Masters themselves, were more prepared than they were.

Ruby was always told that the Jedi were the protectors of peace, not soldiers; a quote true to Master Windu. Now, however, everything was starting to perplex her, driving her to utter confusion over what the Jedi were really fighting for now. Were they peacekeepers or have they decided to switch things up?

As much as she would jump to conclusions, Ruby was aware of her habits. She was going to have to trust her Masters on their judgement over the matter, believing that they were facing their own problems and were handling them in their best efforts. Especially for one Jedi Master who might answer the actions for all of them…

Ruby was on her way to meet up with someone who had requested her presence. She was walking along the hallways, past many of her fellow students and other Masters, in this usually quiet hall now riddled with confused Padawans and fearful younglings, all being calmed by the higher-ups of the Temple. When she was about to reach the room of her destination, she was soon met with two of the Temple's Guards, standing ever so vigilantly on guard. She wondered how the guards here would be so motionless and quiet for so long; surely it must had been boring to stand around all day just watching out for trouble or to protect areas not accessible to the inexperienced like herself. She then, however, had to ignore her curiosity, fearing another retribution by the Guard that caught her trying to sneak into the Temple Library during sleeping hours.

She walked past them and neared the door that would lead her to the person of her appointment. The doors whooshed away on both sides as she stepped forward, allowing her into the room and finally, to meet the individual who wished to speak with her.

"You wanted to see me, Master Yoda?" There she found the very short Jedi Master, whose species even the other Masters were not familiar with to this day, meditating on his little stool facing away from Ruby. Her presence, however, was acknowledged by the Master the moment she was about to near the door. Ruby always heard how powerful Master Yoda was, and now, she was hearing tales from the other Jedi that he had just returned from a dangerous rescue mission in Geonosis.

When she heard that many Jedi had actually died to fight in a bloody skirmish against a droid army, her fears of war had intensified, heartbroken that so many Knights had to die a battle they did not want to fight. To come back from such a disaster would have taken so much determination and power to walk away from it, and Master Yoda was among many who thankfully survived. She could see the dirt on his clothes, orange sand coloured the tiny bits on his robe. Yet, when he spoke to Ruby, it was almost as if he had faced nothing, gentle and welcoming as always.

"Padawan Rose." The elderly master welcomed the young Padawan into the room. "Glad you are here, I am. Be seated." He turned around to meet the girl face-to-face as Ruby sat herself down on the floor, crossing her legs together in a polite manner. The two Jedi, now facing each other, engaged in one of Ruby's favourite pastimes; talking to the Master. Just saying what's on her mind and let Master Yoda guide her on the right path. The old Jedi was always such a dear to her, acting like a grandfather of sorts and comforting her with his words of advice. Now, though, she felt things were different this time.

"Young Padawan." Yoda began to speak. "For the entire time you have been in the Jedi Temple, great prowess, you have shown. Much promise in you, there is." Ruby bowed, doing her best to suppress her gratitude for his words.

"Thank you, Master." She then saw the frown on his face. The frown of uncertainty; it was very uncommon to Ruby. It appeared even the great Master Yoda had grown cautious about the war that was looming over the galaxy.

"But these are grave times, I fear." he continued; sorrow filled in his voice. "The shroud of the Dark Side has fallen." Ruby herself was probably more dreadful of the situation than Master Yoda was. Everything that was happening out there was slowly turning the entire galaxy into a cesspool of violence and grief beyond anything she would have guessed. It was almost all she could bear, driving her to inquire to the Grand Master about what was about to happen.

"Master?" she asked, but deep inside, she knew the answer was already given to her. "Are we really going to war?" Master Yoda hummed, being coarse and reluctant to continue. It was his responsibility, however, to deliver the sad truth about what was about to fall on the shoulders of every Jedi warrior in the Temple; a fate he never wanted to let happen.

"At much danger, the Jedi and the Republic are." defended Yoda. "In order to defend the structure of our Order, answer the call of duty, the Jedi must."

'But Master." Ruby felt the fear going through her, almost as if she could feel the weight of all the Jedi that were about to fight in this bloody war. "I always thought the Jedi were keepers of peace. Not soldiers for war."

"The duty of protecting the peace, it is." added Yoda. "Act, we must."

"But that means…" Ruby's voice was turning to stutters, almost devastated by the possibility of the outcome. "Many will… die…"

"Indeed." It was hard to accept, but even Master Yoda had to admit, things were not going the way Ruby wanted. "Wanting to see this day come, I have not. To defend the galaxy, the duty of the Republic, it is. Thus, also the duty of the Jedi, it is."

"But we will end up being no better than the Sith!" Suddenly, there was an eruption of anger in Ruby's voice, fear completely taking over and power flowing violently across the room, felt by the heart and the Force around them. Yoda, alas, said nothing. He did nothing. He only squinted his wrinkled eyes at the Padawan, reminding her to compose herself. Ruby had only realized the sudden outburst and was quickly taken aback by it, gasping with her hands to her mouth. She bowed in shame, regretting her actions.

"I'm… sorry, Master. I didn't mean to…" she sighed sadly. "I hate to raise my voice at you." It was then that Yoda reached out for Ruby, walking slowly towards her with his walking stick in hand. He placed a soft, comforting hand on the frightened Padawan and let the Force soothe her agony. It was the kind of touching kindness that made Yoda such an admired figure for Ruby.

"Not a problem, it is, young Padawan." he spoke with great care. "Understand your concern for others, I do." But he had to get back to the seriousness of the crisis at bay. "However, at danger is the galaxy. No question about it. No choice, we have, than to commit ourselves to protecting the galaxy." Ruby didn't want to admit, but she had to concede and have the fate of the Jedi befall her.

"I understand." She sighed with reluctance still coursing through her voice. It was a little detail that Yoda noticed.

"Young Padawan." he spoke again. "Much fear, I sense in you." Ruby didn't realize she was showing doubt in front of Master Yoda, surprising her. "Very dangerous, it is, to fear loss and suffering. Leads to the Dark Side, that will." She rubbed the back of her head, willing to say what was in her chest.

"I wish we could have done something to stop this." confessed Ruby.

"Not even the Jedi can stop it, I am afraid." admitted Yoda, forcefully ready for the conflict that brewed. "Begun, the Clone War has." Ruby stood up, now faced with realization that her fellow Jedi, friends and Masters alike, were about to be pushed into battle, whether they liked it or not. She bowed to Yoda again, doing her best to accept the consequences that may follow.

"I promise, Master." she said. "I won't fail you." If there was going to be anything bad to happen to her own Master, the least she could do was move on and let his knowledge be passed on to her, so she could help the next generation move forward. If there was a chance she could…

"See if true, we shall." The Jedi Master got up from his seat and walked past the Padawan. Ruby followed along outside the room as they headed for the wide open corridor. "For now, young Padawan. Meet your Master, you must."

 _Karabast_ , Ruby thought. She had forgotten that she was needed to find her Master after her little unannounced trip to Level 1313. To her defence, Master Kenta had received a last minute call from Yoda to be sent to Geonosis where he would participate in the action. Ruby always grew curious about his time there, but right now, there was much to expect from his rebuking of her actions in the undercity level.

"Does this… have to do with that little scuffle I had with those Weequay at Filoniville?" Ruby sheepishly asked, despite expecting the answer.

"Much mischief, you have. Useful to your expertise, it is." That was always Yoda; he must have always known the answers, but chose to use metaphors to further exemplify the seriousness of one's deeds, good or bad. "But disappointed your Master, you have. Be mindful of your actions in the future, you must."

"I'm… sorry, Master." apologized Ruby. Master Yoda just shook his head, telling her that he was not to be answered to.

"Accepting your apology, up to your Master, it is." As luck would have it, or rather by the nature of the Force, the one person who was going to give Ruby his word happened to be right in front of them.

"Ruby." A chill ran up Ruby's spine. She knew she was going to be in for a lot of trouble from the man she called Master really soon, especially since he was indeed standing right in front of her and Yoda, staring very crossly at her.

"H-Hi, Master." Ruby shook as she struggled to properly welcome her Master. The tall man in his Jedi robes, with the hood over his auburn-coloured hair, came forward to greet them both, though still aiming his strict eyes on Ruby.

"Leave you to talk, I will." Master Yoda decided to send them off. "When you are ready, meet us, you shall." He then walked, slowly away from the two as the older man came to speak to Ruby. The Padawan grew quite nervous in front of her Master, fiddling with the Padawan braid behind her hair. She looked up to him with the eyes that were easily read as a sign of worry and trouble.

"I'm in trouble, aren't I?" she asked helplessly.

"You most certainly are, my young Padawan." informed Master Kenta Barak. "Snooping around in the alleyways, meddling with the affairs of lowlife street gangs, getting caught up in a swoop chase all the way to the upper levels." "You have proven to be quite troublesome, these past few weeks, Ruby." He rubbed his forehead as he continued to speak his dissatisfaction for his Padawan's antics. "I cannot hide my disappointment. You cannot just run off and have fun with some dangerous crowds like it is all fun and games. You're not a little girl anymore."

"I was only trying to help!" Once again, Ruby began to defend herself, speaking against her Master. "Those thugs were mugging an old Duros at a bar and almost attempted to stab him with a vibroknife. An **illegal** vibroknife!" Master Kenta crossed his arms, trying to assert some authority over his Padawan. "I did what I had to because it's the Jedi way, isn't it?"

"Now, calm down, Padawan…" But his words didn't stop. Ruby had no time or patience for his lectures. She had every right to search out in the alleys to find the one person she longed to see. She couldn't understand why even that was so hard to follow for him, driving her into another barrage of angry words.

"It's bad enough that my sister has gone missing in the lower levels, but did you have to rebuke for my actions?! Why do you think I'm such a failure?!" Now, Ruby's rage finally hit the mark, finally managing to surprise her Master. Flustered by his apparent lack of faith in her, Ruby stayed mad for a few seconds, turning away from him in a devastated mood.

Kenta's shock didn't last long, but he soon fell back to his old self, shaking his head in disappointment, watching his apprentice venting her frustration out. At least there wasn't anyone around to see what had happened. Then, as he had felt would come, Kenta heard the sounds of sniffles and sobs coming from Padawan Rose. Her body was shaking in sorrowful sadness and the cries became more audible. A pair of tears were dripping from her eyes, breaking the young learner even more. It wasn't her discontent over the fact that she hadn't found her sister in the low levels that drove her to sadness, but rather the sudden realization that she had yelled at her own Master. She was now frightened at the idea of shouting back, fearing a bit of retribution.

"I-I'm sorry, Master." She believed that what she had done was a very immature act to do in front of her Master, making her regret her actions even more. "I… didn't mean to… I'm sorry." Her sobs echoed through the hallway like a whisper in the night, bringing her down to a level of wrongdoing she believed she was in.

Kenta did the only thing he had to when his apprentice was faced with uncertainty and confusion. He came over to place his hands on her shoulders and turned her around gently. Ruby had to look in the eyes of her Master and she saw the eyes of a man who was eager to comfort her like a father figure would. He gave her the face that she really loved to see at times of hardship; a face of understanding.

"It was almost unwise to let your emotions and attachments get to you, Ruby." he said to her, making sure to control his own stress to soothe his Padawan. "But I guess I should be toned down as well." He turned to look at the window where he could see the Galactic Senate Building over the distance, reminding himself of the crazy turn of events driving everyone in the galaxy into chaos.

"It's just that… we are about to embark on a perilous journey that could very well change the Jedi Order as we know it. It's just been… very difficult to take in." Ruby could sense her Master's discomfort over the looming war. It was as she expected from Master Yoda, and now she could see it in her official Master as well; the Jedi were not as prepared for battle as she hoped them to be.

"I thought you would have been prepared for this kind of thing, Master." inquired Ruby, sniffling a bit.

"I've only been in the Order for a few decades. The Jedi Order have not seen a full-scale conflict for a thousand years." Ruby had to pay attention to her History classes a little more. But in her defence, it was easy to forget that the Jedi's long conflict with their ancient enemy, the Sith, had practically paved the way to demilitarize the Republic and thus, the induction of the power of the Jedi into political and social affairs. The current Supreme Chancellor had just given it a reason to start gearing up again and it had now put the Jedi back in the crosshairs.

"So, you have no idea how we can handle this war, do you?" asked Ruby again.

"I'm afraid not." confessed Kenta. "But we must prepare for the worse. I know few of our Masters here, including Master Yoda, have lived long enough to see the horrors of war. Or at least an idea of it." He could not figure out if anyone alive today in the Temple today had been in such horrendous fighting before. Certainly Master Yoda could have, or perhaps Master Rancisis or Piell. Maybe even the Chief Librarian herself… No one knew just how much time had been lost since the Jedi had managed to stop becoming involved in large-scale battles.

"Oh." That was all Ruby could comprehend, wiping away the last of her tears.

"Ruby. Do not let my disappointment pull you to despair. You know how that kind of feeling can get you." reminded Master Kenta.

"I know, but I just can't help but feel burdened after losing my sister." Ruby still felt the loss of her sister with hurt, but she did her best to let herself be calmer to her Master. "Ever since you took me to join the Order, it's been so hard for them." She looked out the window, wondering where in the galaxy she could be, if not at the darkest corners of Coruscant. She remembered on that very day that she faced the harshest moment in her family's life. "I know I visit them occasionally, but you always encouraged me to limit my visits. And because of that, Yang too couldn't take the pressure and ran away, leaving Dad pretty much heartbroken."

It was probably one of many tragedies her family had faced in the years since her birth. First, Ruby's own mother, once a Jedi Knight like her, dead after a mission went wrong. Her father was left, distraught and overprotective for his daughters that when Ruby was taken away from his arms, he practically fell to depression and Yang almost destroyed. Despite her numerous returns, it was not working out for the family until eventually, Ruby's father fell at into a state of drinking and punching bricks just to keep himself at bay. Already thrice he had lost the people he loved…

And she could imagine what it was like when Yang had left. Just the thought of it alone was enough to sadden her to think about how her father had felt when every woman in his life were all gone. She could not help herself but to try and accompany him as much as she could, but life in the Jedi Order was always restrictive of her bonds with her father.

"I'm sorry, Ruby." said Kenta. "But we can't let your attachments affect the course of your training." Ruby nodded without saying a word. She was the only girl left to help take care of her father, forgetting about the post-military retirement funding he was receiving at the time, and moving onto more emotional support. She even got him a pet anooba and named it Zwei. But alas, it was never enough, and Ruby was powerless to do any more.

"I just wish I could find Yang again." She held onto hope, praying for the day that she would find Yang one day and make her see reason for coming back to help her dad recover from his sadness. "She's out there. I can feel it." She didn't just need the Force to feel for her older step-sister. It was rather the heart of a loved family member that kept her hopes alive. Something that the Order highly discouraged, much to her displeasure. There was nothing much she could do, however. She was already gifted with the power of the Force from her mother, so she was devoted to preserving her legacy by training to become the Jedi Master she always dreamed of being; to protect an unforgiving galaxy from evil and the Dark Side.

"Then, may the Force guide her." Master Kenta encouraged Ruby to let Yang go, almost always the routine when Ruby tried to get involved in whatever affair her sister had. "But right now, you are required to devote yourself to the Jedi Order and not let your feelings take control of you. You got me so far?" With a friendly grin, Master Kenta would assure Ruby that even if she didn't have the chance to visit her only family, she would always depend on her Master to guide her, care for her and perhaps one day, lift her to greatness.

Despite having to forget about Yang for now, she could finally stop feeling sadness in her heart and be proud to the one man who would always be sure to keep her in line and bring her to the same path Summer Rose made before her.

"Yes, Master Kenta." Ruby acknowledged. Maybe someday, the Force shall bring her and Yang back together again. She just had to do what she was always told to do at these troubling times.

Trust in the Force…

"Now, take some time to meditate and calm yourself." advised Master Kenta, patting her on the head as his daily habit of messing with her. Ruby may not seem to enjoy the gesture, always trying to catch his hand, but it was these moments why she really liked having her Master around, even he was strict at important times. "You're needed at the Council Chamber in a few hours." Ruby remembered that Master Yoda told her to meet him at the Chamber at the tallest tower of the temple which made her very curious as to why she was to be sent there.

Did it have to do with the war? That was the only question that came to mind, and it worried her very much.

"Oh yeah." she sighed. "But why?"

"Just come up to the tower. No questions asked." Kenta told her straight away, without leaving any clue as to what the Council had for her. So, Ruby was now left with more worries than hopes about what would happen to the Jedi at this point, and why the Council wanted to see her was telling her that it had to do with the conflict ahead.

"Yes, Master." Ruby just bowed her head, choosing not to ask any more questions and just accepted what she was asked to do later on. She then watched as her Master smiled back before walking away to do business elsewhere. The Padawan stood still, having her thoughts racing around her mind about what should happen to her now. Forget Yang for now. Everything that was about to befall upon the Jedi Order now was going to make things a whole lot more chaotic. For an organization that stood for thousands of years dedicated to preserving the peace of the galaxy, their contributions were about to be put to the test. Whether she was inexperienced in outside affairs or not, it was like the whole galaxy was going to go up in flames and she was almost powerless to do anything about it.

Or perhaps, that was how she felt…

* * *

Atlas,

Solitas,

Remnant System

Just days after Coruscant erupted with the cheers for war, word had soon spread throughout Remnant like a wildfire. Where Vale mobilized the majority of its ablest soldiers for battle, other worlds in the system prepared their own contributions to the war effort. Anima, to maintain the trade and economy. Vacuo to drive the industrial effort with resources. Vytal to ensure peace and unity among every world joining the Republic in the fight against the Separatists.

And then, there was Solitas. The icy world that laid just at the border between the Remnant system and the Mandalore system, providing the technological core of Remnant's coalition against their new enemy. The planet once colonized by struggling colonists battling against the elements was now arguably the most advanced out of all the worlds in Remnant, which was why the Coalition was fully depending on it to develop new war machines to reinforce the Army with the best it had to offer.

The capital of Solitas itself was in full cheers on the surface, where the people cheered to celebrate of the planet's entry into the war in honour of its many rises to military prowess throughout history. Much more complex than the city of Vale, the metropolitan city stood over an icy plateau where once there were blizzards; now there was clear ice fields that made it less cold than all the other places on the planet. The proud people of Atlas lived in a towering community, where the richest lived in the topmost levels of the city where they could see the sunlight shine on them reflecting their bright lifestyles. At the very top of the city, towering over all, was the head building of the biggest driver of the planet's glorious success story.

The Schnee Mining Corporation held the distinctive honour of being one of the most powerful galactic corporations out there, with the possession of thousands of mining complexes throughout the Outer Rim alone. So much success and money were earned through its long history that 'thriving' wasn't even enough to describe its status. And it owed them all to an elegant and prestigious family of entrepreneurs who shaped the Remnant system to what it was now.

Many received the highest honour of inheriting the title of President of the SMC over the century since its founding, and right now, the current one was watching the liveliness of the high-class rejoicing over the new events that should put their armies to the test.

The man, standing behind the large window, viewed the city square down below, relaxed in his extravagant room filled with furniture made from all sorts of luxurious materials; from the softest of fabrics made from muunyak fur from Jelucan, to the shiniest of diamond-like materials fresh from his mines. Portraits of himself and his family were stuck at the walls high up the room where they all posed in royal fashion. With a sip of his hot Gatalentan tea, he let the soothing aroma of the drink calm his mind to enjoy the joyous feeling of promising the height of his corporation's power.

Jacques Schnee kept a close eye on his biggest supporters; all he could see were probably as glamorous as he was. For sure, he knew that these people were all behind him and the government of the planet when Solitas agreed to join the Republic in its war against the Confederacy. And the Senate was complaining that the people of Solitas were against the war. He couldn't see why anyone would not agree to giving the people the chance to enjoy more earnings from the war promised. Just look at them out there, he thought. They were all relished the spoils of a century of wealth and hard work, all courtesy of his own efforts to make Solitas greater than ever.

Then, one of the tall doors at the other end of the room opened up, revealing his biggest pride and joy of his long career.

"My daughter." Jacques called. "Please, come." The new Senator of Solitas had just returned home after her first day of the job representing the planet within the Galactic Senate. A rather rough night it was for Weiss Schnee, to say the least. Her first time standing at that floating platform while listening to the hundreds of other Senators jollying with the declaration of war was nothing special really. All she did was stand there and applaud to show her support for the Chancellor. Outside of the Chamber, she also had her first taste of criticism from some of the other Senators; most who were opposed to the war while the rest were pretty much fooling around with her because she was just seventeen.

If she was not mistaken, the Senator of Naboo was said to be at the youthful age of twenty-four, and she was still there. Why couldn't a seventeen-year old be any different? Needless to say, her first day as Senator was not anything to enjoy, and it was all made worse by another incident she had suffered after the Senate meeting.

"How is your injury?" Weiss shuddered when her father asked of her unfortunate wound from her previous encounter with a dark assassin who tried to cut her down.

"The doctors said my injuries will heal." She turned around just so she could brush the long scar across her eye, not wanting her father to see how she was taking it. The blood may had been cleaned off and her vision fully restored, but the evidence of a slip-up remained. The inability to come out without a single scratch foiled with such humiliation that it felt shameful to allow her father to look at her. She couldn't possibly hide it from her own father as it stuck out like a very sore thumb, so she supposed she would have to face the repercussions of failing to come out as the perfect daughter for him.

"Good. Good." Fortunately, her father did not seem to bother about the scar as he turned around to be seated on the hover chair before moving over at his desk. "Wouldn't want my star of the Senate to lose favour just because of a simple blemish." Weiss smiled, glad to hear that her father did not take the wound to heart.

"Now, I want you to know that the Council has approved my request to launch the new prototype of one of our newest walker designs to be deployed to the battlefield. One of many accomplishments in which Solitas could proudly bring to the war." Jacques couldn't stop smiling thinking about the amount of money he had put into Mantle's war factories to produce a war machine that should destroy the enemy with one full blow. Mass production was already under way, with more plans to also mobilize its finest ships for the planet's own armada that would make up the majority of Remnant's naval fleets. "The next Senate meeting will be a full hearing on everyone's contributions to the Republic's war effort. And that will be where you shall address to the Senate on our offerings to the military."

Weiss grinned, despite not being content about having to hear Senators boast about themselves and their own glorious machines and funding to the Republic, as well as opposing Senators to criticize her or everybody else's glee about joining the war. This was still her chance to make her father proud and allow the SMC to shine the brightest it had ever been.

She was never the favourite among the family growing up, forced to work hard to satisfy her father only to be shunned away in favour of her older sister, who had joined the Atlesian military as a Captain. The amount of studies she had done weren't enough to prove to him that she was capable of being so much more than being just his daughter.

All the time, Jacques always wondered of who should be his successor, whether it'd be Winter, Weiss and the youngest son, Whitley. Unfortunately, politics had taken its toll and claimed the two daughters ahead of his consideration.

Initially, it was Winter Schnee who was to take the role of Senator, but after much persuasion courtesy of General Ironwood, Jacques was forced to accept that the younger daughter was qualified for the job instead.

Weiss felt that this was the chance she'd been waiting for; to see that she was capable of leading a people to the biggest of situations. If that wasn't enough to impress her father, then she didn't know what would. All that mattered now was that she was finally given the respect she deserved and would do whatever it took to maintain the attention.

There was just one more problem that was bothering her the whole time though. One that could threaten to remove her not just from her rightful place as Senator, but also her own life…

"Father." she called. "That assassin…" Weiss stopped herself, livid enough to use the 'proper' way to call the warrior that nearly took her life. "That **Mandalorian**. What shall we do with him? I'm certain more would come to attack me." Jacques grasped his chin, already sure of the dangers now posed on his daughter's life. Troubling indeed that an assassin wearing combat armour very recognizable as that of Mandalorian origins had decided to come out and commit violence to one of his own.

It was no surprise though. Mandalore had always long opposed the Schnee Mining Corporation albeit peacefully which baffled Jacques. The Mandalorians had painted a very violent image in the hearts of Remnant folk even in this generation, and yet with all of their barbaric stories and painful past with the Remnant system, they continued to defy him, simply because his over-dependency on his riches would cause the same destruction that befell their own planet. Simply ironic, he thought.

After Mandalore's claims to embracing peace and non-violence, suddenly a few parties of terrorists wearing Mandalorian armour stepped out of the open and attacked his rich supplies and those who worked hard to obtain them, alongside another hated group of extremists. Faunus extremists. It was clear that these imperfect beings were collaborating with Remnant's old enemy were using the upcoming war as a means to exact their eventual revenge upon the Schnee and those who they vowed to destroy.

Despite the dangers, Jacques knew better than to cower in the face of an evil force that would be bent on destroying everything he worked so hard for. Would this be what Nicholas Schnee wanted? For him to disintegrate when the whole galaxy was looking upon his corporation to fuel the war effort? The feeling of failure was not going to let him destroy all of his hard work. The Republic was behind him all the way, giving him a strong chance to survive any attack.

"For now, my dear, I shall discuss further with the Council and see if I can plot out our next course of action against those hypocritical neighbours of ours." He clasped his hands together, fingers intertwined while devising what to do next. "Just prepare for the Senate meeting. I shall double your security when you go there." Weiss grinned at the fact that her father would make her feel safer with his own plans. It seemed that finally, she was getting the care she wanted her father to give her all this time. At the same time, she let her spite against the Mandalorians for attempting to end her life.

"Thank you, father. Those fools will pay for this." she cursed, giving Jacques smiles all around.

"That's my girl! Defiant in the face of the enemy." he cheered. "The Republic is a bunch of fools to see Mandalore as a 'pacifist world'. They terrorized Remnant all those centuries ago, and the Republic just accepts them as they claim to be today. Such a pathetic lack of foresight." Jacques returned to his seat, still delighted to see that Weiss was taking his side on the matter. "Never trust those brutal barbarians one bit, Weiss. **That** shall guarantee your place within the Senate."

"Yes, Father." Weiss bowed, prepared to finally show the galaxy what she and her people were willing to stand for. "I shall be ready to make our mark in galactic history."

"Go on, now." told Jacques, having about done with meeting with his daughter of his plans to move forward. "Do what you need to do and report to the Planetary Council when you're done." The time had come for daughter and father to part ways once again; Weiss

When Weiss turned around and prepared to leave, Jacques called her out again, forgetting one more thing he had in mind. There was something he had to do with the people of Solitas; a problem that had been plaguing the government right away after Solitas' decision to support the war was announced.

"You have a show ready later on and I want everyone in our world to see it. I want everyone to see how this war will change their lives for the better, so give them the heart and voice they so desired." As much as Jacques hated to admit it, not everyone in Solitas was so enthusiastic about the idea of embracing the path to war. While the high-class saw it as a chance to get even richer, the need for enlistment meant that those from the middle-class and low-class would have to be brought into the army. This did not sit well with the citizens at those levels of society, claiming that they were being forced to join a war they did not want to be part of. Jacques and everyone else in the Corporation didn't see what the big deal was. Their planet was in jeopardy and all they could do was retreat back to their homes and cower underneath their shabby beds. They could use the money to make their poverty problems go away by joining the fight instead of just giving it to them straight away and causing an influx of rich folk.

Hopefully Weiss would convince them to fuel their support for the Schnee Mining Corporation and the Council in the war ahead. Everyone adored her beauty and voice, so she would make her presence noted to show them the right way. It was a duty that she happily obliged. The young Senator left the room after accepting her appointment with the stage and the crowd to bring smiles to the people of Solitas.

"Let the Schnee family prosper under the duty of war."

* * *

Concordia,

Mandalore,

Mandalore System,

Once again, Blake Belladonna was on the run. Not from authorities or soldiers, but from her own comrades. Even as she was proclaimed dead by the White Fang, she felt that her remains would have to be searched somehow. The way she left her old armour behind and destroyed jetpack was going to give off a very convincing lead to her apparent survival. So, with her mind set on a new mission, she raced through the dense dead forests left desolated by centuries of industrial greed, for a few days since the revelation of the true motives of the man she once admired.

Her time in the forest on the run has left her weak and slow from hunger and tiredness, forcing herself to feed on some of the grub that was provided enough nutrition to keep her alive until she could find her way out of the woods. If she was going to escape the wrath of her former organization, Blake needed to find a transport out of the moon, where she would then fly all the way to Concord Dawn where she would hope to find and bring back a friend of hers who was about to finish her oath to becoming one with the White Fang.

 **Adam's** White Fang…

Blake knew her old fighter would have been ransacked or probably scheduled to be scrapped by now due to her betrayal. She couldn't go back to the base to get it anyway; there was just too much security for her to even sneak past. Her infiltration of the Senate premises was based on a lucky break. A drunken guard easily got her in so she could try and assassinate her quarry. Things were different now. Adam may have had her presumed dead, but no one would take any chances if they ever spot her sneaking around. She 'died' a traitor, so any traces of her were to be destroyed, including her body. So the idea that she would be found alive was still going to end up in disaster.

Care was needed when traversing through the barren forests, for she would probably find patrols running through the land to keep their secret bases hidden from any prying eyes from both Mandalore and the Republic. Word could have gotten through that Blake had betrayed the White Fang, so any sight of her would lead to a fatal encounter. She was low on ammo and she wasn't sure she could hold put on her own with only Gambol Shroud in hand.

Her quest to finding a ship to escape Concordia was turning into a test for survival on her own. No one to depend on, everyone to fight against. She had lost all trust from everyone she knew, except perhaps for Ilia. If she could listen to reason, then she wanted the two of them to abandon their old comrades and venture out to find something else worth their while. They would be free from the tyranny the White Fang let itself become and live out of another job.

She didn't have an idea what she'd do, but Blake had to focus on getting out of Concordia before anyone went out to look for her 'grave'. She did have one idea where she might find the answer to her problems. Since Death Watch was already stationed here to meet up with the White Fang, there could have been a transport they might have used to bring in their men and women over to the base. Her best guess would be a few of their own _Kom'rk_ fighters landed somewhere isolated enough to avoid detection from Mandalore.

And as it so happened, she knew a few landing zones throughout the perimeter of the White Fang base. After remembering them all from her previous encounters with Death Watch visitors in the past, she had to pick out the closest one out of all of them. Luckily, that was only a few minutes away from where she was at the time. She brushed through the thick vegetation and hurried over to where she might be able to find her way out of Concordia.

After traversing through more rugged terrain, she had finally stumbled upon an open landing zone. An abandoned military outpost that was probably left behind after the civil war between the New Mandalore and the insurgents that preceded Death Watch. It had since been one of many secret landing sites for Death Watch and White Fang transports; checkpoints that helped to protect the concealment of their hidden bases.

Right on top of the wall-less platform, Blake instantly found her quarry. Just as she anticipated, there were three docked fighters parked in a line, with their large wings flipped upwards. To make things much more satisfying, Blake could see that their landing ramps were lowered, allowing easy access into the ships. And the icing of the cake, the platform was only guarded by two guards. Just two, both looking away from the transports. Blake would have thought that Death Watch would have had such higher standards of security given their secrecy. This was going to be a piece of cake.

She ran from the undergrowth and dashed towards the exposed fighters. She kept her keen eye on the two guards who were still facing the opposite direction away from the fighters. She snuck behind a pile of crates to hide from the guards after a good amount of distance between her and her way out. She bided her time hiding, waiting to see if the guards would do anything, studying their poses and find out if they were well worth watching out for.

"Did you hear about the White Fang? I think their leader just executed a few of the Duchess' men and is now going to embrace our ways." the first guard spoke up. Blake deduced that a conversation between the two could easily sway them off from any attention to their posts.

"Looks like Death Watch is going to get a huge influx of reinforcements. The more the merrier." the other guard added. Blake could hear the conversation from afar, but she didn't have time to reminisce about her past sorrowful tragedy. If those guards were going to talk to each other, then it was her best chance to bolt her way behind them and escape.

"Also heard one of their own had just tried to slice Taurus' neck. She bit the dust and was blown to pieces soon after." Before she could reach her new ship, she then caught the conversation heading for the hurtful topic of her 'betrayal'. She had the sudden urge to stop. She couldn't help but let her curiosity stop her from hearing what she had done in her life as part of the White Fang, thinking of all sorts of ways to react to them.

"She got what she deserved." the other retorted. "I can never understand how those Faunus work. What a bunch of filth."

Blake cringed in anger, hearing the ironic ignorance these members of Death Watch had just said aloud. The fact that they saw the White Fang as dirt, like almost a huge majority of others in the galaxy did, was the sort of motivation for her growing questioning of her old organization's cooperation with the exiled Mandalorian group. She never understood why Adam had such a taste for these warriors if they too were just as blind as those she defied that said the same things they did.

Unfortunately, her frustration had distracted her from what really mattered. As she was about to make her final sprint to safety, she did not see what was on the floor, still swirling with anger over the guard's disgusting remark on her kind. As soon as she was about to reach the ship, she blindly kicked a small rusty can on the floor, causing an alarming clanking noise that was promptly heard by all around her.

"What the-?" The two guards spun around, alerted by the noise to find out what just occurred. Blake was out of options; she was already out in the open and unable to roll away on time back to her spot. Her stealth seemed to have been tarnished by her slight inner anger over the guards' opinion about her kind. There was now utter panic from the sudden twist in her plans. She was now caught red-handed and the first troubles on the run were about to kick off.

"Hey! You there!" The guard pointed at her direction, raising his blaster in the air. "It's that traitor! Stop her!" The two then aimed their rifles towards Blake and immediately fired at her. The young girl was now faced with a volley of laser fire heading her way. It was at that moment that she knew she had to fight. There were only two of them, and even as the possibility that more of Death Watch was close by, she felt that she could easily take them out and flee before reinforcements would arrive.

She ran for the guards, using her blade to shield her from incoming fire, fuelled the immense amount of training she used to do to deflect projectiles without the need of some mystical powers like the Jedi had. Her extraordinary precision in deflecting the shots made her speed undisturbed. The guards shot out as fast as they could, hoping to hit their target eventually. The ex-White Fang member was too fast and too precise against their blasts to slow down before she jumped at them.

She then delivered a swift split kick upon landing to the ground, hitting both of their heads and knocking them down. She then stood above one of them with anger in her heart. She raised her sword in the air, bent on silencing them before they could do anything to stop her.

But then, once she was about to lunge her sword at his body, she stopped. Once again, she reminded herself of the moment she almost did the same to Adam, close to ending his own life. The thought of killing the guard below her was just as monstrous as it was before and she didn't want to sink as low as Adam did. It was best to leave the guards to live to regret another day while she would just move on with her life, away from all of this extremism.

Coming to her senses, she immediately gets off the guard and ran off to board the ship in the middle of the line. She climbed up the ramp while the guards recuperated from their falls. She hopped on to the seat of the fighter's cockpit, where she worked through the switches and buttons to start the ship to an optimal level of operational functions.

The guards got back up from their stupor to hear the loud whirring sounds of a ship at take-off. They shot their heads back to find that one of their ships was being lifted in the air. Instantly, they pulled out their weapons and fired upon the ship in a dastard attempt to shoot down the intruder who hijacked it.

Blake quickly tried to turn on the thrusters while she turned the ship around to face the dark sky above her. She then tapped into a few more buttons here and there to adjust the ship's systems to power up her flight out of the planet. Finally, after tuning in, she wrapped her fingers around the handles on the control stick and with one push of it, she accelerated to top speeds, finally lifting off to be free from this horrid place.

The _Kom'rk_ fighter then sped off into the distance, leaving behind the guards to watch unable to do anything and stop her. Blake was finally off to escape the place she once called home, leaving the unfertile ground and soaring off into the sky and eventually to orbit. The guards below were now pressed to alert their bosses about the theft of one of their own, sure to raise concerns about the traitor who ran away from the White Fang.

"Get Kryze on the comm, now!" ordered the first guard. "Tell her we got a problem."

* * *

Docking Bay 1977,

Coruscant,

Coruscant System,

Money is ever the sweet temptress in the galaxy, especially if you're a smuggler on a quest to live off her own adventures. That was the kind of thing Yang was in for when it came to dangerous quests to rob those with filthy amounts of money. It didn't matter if it was the traditional Lien of her home system, the general Republic credits or the **real** kind of money used by the most luxurious. The price was all the same and she would get what was hers, no matter how tough the security was.

She'd steal from pretty much anyone. She began her career taking credits from local Valese banks before eventually even trying to steal from the Republic. However, as she grew, she started to go for the more dangerous holders of great amounts of cash, allowing her to stay away from the authorities and fulfilling her need to explore the galaxy for newer opportunities. That meant running through smuggling rings throughout less than protected areas such as those from the Outer Rim or even Hutt Space.

Her goals were to use that money and find a new leash in life, with enough to spend to make things better. Perhaps own an estate in Taloraan or bet it all on podracing, especially since there had been a new shift in racing careers since the Boonta Eve Classic a decade ago.

The problem was, however, that she was now in a big pickle of the slimy kind. She once owed a lot of credits after stealing plenty from one of the Hutt family clan, Gorga the Hutt. About ten thousand credits of them. For the past few months, she'd been unable to pay off her fee to the lesser known Hutt and now, thanks to her notoriety, Gorga had no patience to see what Yang Xiao Long would be willing to do to spoil him again.

Ever since she was marked by the Hutt, few bounty hunters had taken up the offer to hunt her down. They clearly had not met the brawler in action. For some unknown reason, every time she was hunted, she would eventually explode in fits of anger and battered them all down before they could have the chance to claim their prize. Most encounters had ended up being fatal. Some did survive, but they all grew to fear the might of the Yellow Rancor. She was even able to beat up one of the best; a bounty hunter wearing blue and silver Mandalorian armour as she recalled.

But she couldn't keep up the fight for long. She felt that one day, if she kept this up, she would end up getting shot down, and her unexplained bursts of power wouldn't be able to save her next time. She had to find that money before Gorga could intensify his resolve, probably to call on his relatives, including the most powerful of them all such as Jabba and Gardulla, to join him.

And thanks to little 'friendly meeting' with a local bartender, she found a source of huge income that could more than help her pay off her fees to the Hutt. A most precious cargo was about to be shipped off from Coruscant on the way to Nar Shaddaa and the price for that cargo was probably the biggest load she had ever found in her career. The trick was that she had to steal the cargo from a very formidable crime-lord; one had recently established himself as one of the most notorious in the Core Worlds and the Remnant System.

Yang ran her speeder across the roads on the surface levels of the metropolitan planet, where it was bright and accessible enough for security personnel to know what was going on, but she was well within the shadows at night for anyone to notice. The ongoing traffic masked her own appearance, as she had been made known by most of Coruscant's lower or under levels by now.

She eventually passed through the busy highway and made a turn to her next destination. It was there she had found the place; Docking Bay 1977. This was where she would find the cargo she would eventually take and use to pay off the Hutt and probably snag a few extra chunks for herself. She raced for a shady location near the parking lot to leave her precious speeder behind and hide it from local towing services. Afterwards, she jumped off her vehicle and made her way through the supply drop-off zones where loading droids worked endlessly to transport crates and containers to and from their departure flights.

When she ran for one of them, she quickly hid behind the larger containers to avoid being sighted by the large droids as their mechanical arms carried off the cargo of a recent flight and trailed off to load them elsewhere. Yang remained vigilant; despite their main purpose for loading cargo, those droids were also equipped with security sensors that would alert security of any contamination, interlopers, stowaways or any unauthorized trespassers that might be sneaky enough to hitch a ride within the cargo they carry.

She bided her time, waiting for one droid to cruise right through and pick out a huge container fresh from the conveyor belt. When it carried its load, it then moved on and exited the area, giving Yang the chance to run forth and enter the landing zone just next to the room she was in.

When she ran past the door, she quickly found the entire landing site where she could see a large ship with three thruster engines on its back, being loaded by several similarly dressed men who were also bringing with them a crate each. Yang hid behind a wall where she could see the whole operation taking place. The hollow landing zone with its rooftop door open was full of these men dressed in the uniforms she recognized all too well.

They all wore white suits over black shirts and black pants, complete with black gloves and all sorts of weapons; many of them made illegal by the Republic. She then spotted within the crowd a lone woman who wore a white vest jacket over a long-sleeved dark grey tight shirt and above all, hair split between the colours of brown on her left and pink on the right. It was then she knew that she had found the right place. This was the ship that was carrying Torchwick's spices. Her money…

"About time you riffraff got here!" Yang heard a loud echo coming from far away. A charismatic and lively voice that sounded like a devious salesman during an economic depression. And as she expected, the big man himself had arrived, with his white coat and snazzy bowler hat over his head, walking forth towards the ship with his cane made of hard wood in hand. The man known as Roman Torchwick had come.

In front of the man, a few other men, clearly not part of his Syndicate, walked towards him. The being at front was a blobby alien with wrinkly brown skin and two bulging eyes **(A/N~ This alien species doesn't have a name in Star Wars, so to let you know, he's the fat alien boss from the Rebels episode "The Call").** He was backed by two Rodians armed with blasters wearing dirty gear with the symbol that Yang easily identified as that of the Mining Guild. As far as she heard, the Guild was hitting hard after the Republic declared war on the Separatists. Why they would ask to do business with someone like Torchwick was an enigma Yang could probably delve into in the future. "Do you know how much time I had to wait for you to get here?" Torchwick twirled his cane around, shrugging his shoulders while sighing with disappointment over the worker of the Mining Guild for his lack of timing. He then turned to the woman with the double-coloured hair, who stood sassily at his command. "Neo, make me a note. Never send a fat-ass to do a Torchwick's job."

The woman nodded with a sweet smile before slinging the pink umbrella on her shoulder before walking off to check on the shipments of spices being loaded into the ship.

"I've got you your spices, Torchwick." the chubby worker growled. "Now, you gonna pay up or what?" Suddenly, Torchwick swung his cane and flicked it right in front of the alien's face. Doing so made a small little targeting sight flip out and the cane becoming a weapon with its tip being the barrel. The move caused the big alien to panic and his guards to aim their weapons to respond to any action. Alas, Roman didn't do anything, bobbing his head to the side to state his own end of the bargain.

"Ah ah." He fiddled with his other finger. "We can't be too hasty now, can we? The journey to Nar Shaddaa is going to be a perilous one for us. We can't simply lose all your hard work if Republic authorities catch us, no?" His explanation made the Mining Guild worker rethink his intentions. If he was going to just leave Torchwick with his large sum of money, then he would not be able to get through the Republic officials easily. Come to think of it, if he ever got back to the Guild, his boss would give him a terrifying form of punishment for carrying out business behind his back. It was probably best if he followed along with Torchwick and see that his shipments make it out of the planet and out of the Republic with some of his men along for the ride.

"I suppose not." The man finally conceded. Torchwick lowered his cane down and took his hand out to shake the other's own.

"Good man." stated Torchwick. "Now, have your men help us load the cargo and we'll discuss your fee." With nothing left to complain about, the worker and his guards followed Torchwick to the ship to load in his supplies.

Meanwhile, Yang had been watching the conversation unfold, almost wishing things went down south for her to sneak through and board the ship. The situation now calmed, she didn't really find much a difference. She waited for the company to leave the scene long enough for her to bolt right out and find an opening that would lead her right into the ship. She took a good look around the ship and immediately, she found her entrance.

As of all the many large ships she's snuck aboard in the past, this one had the same little door of opportunity, though it was not the cleanest. Yang supposed she would have to make do with the ventilation shaft. Once she found that the guards were all called on board by Torchwick himself, Yang quickly made light foot and sped right for the hole right below the right engine booster.

Making sure to watch out for any passing guards, she sprinted as fast as she could before anyone could see her. She ran for a good few seconds before reaching the bottom of the ship which she then climbed on top of a few crates to level herself with the entrance into the shaft. She positioned herself to make the jump to the ship and had to do it before the engines would turn on, or she would be a fried nuna bird.

She wasted no time before she leapt off from the crates and managed to latch her fingers onto the metal panel blocking the entry point. She held onto the panel before eventually pulling it off with her incredible muscle power, ripping the screws off and holding onto to the corner of the hole to throw it off. Then, with one push, she threw herself into the rusty ventilation shaft, crawling forward right as the engines burst in full power, with the ship ready for take-off.

"Alright." Yang brushed her hair, releasing the stress from all of that hard work. "Now to find my money." She then punched her hands together before continuing on into the shaft, working her way towards her primary target as the ship took off to Nar Shaddaa.

It was a good thing Ruby was not here to see what kind of scandalous trouble she was getting herself into. She wondered if her little sister was trying to find her right now, being a Jedi and all, using the Force to locate her would have been an easy task. Alas, after all this time, there was not a single encounter with the tyke. She always asked herself why was it taking her this long to even find her.

* * *

Jedi Temple,

Coruscant,

Coruscant System,

And it so happened that Ruby Rose herself was being attended to other business, unaware of her sister's own antics. She was oblivious that her later search for Yang would have been made even more difficult with the blonde now running off doing who knows what.

Right now, however, her mind was now set on what the Jedi Council had to do with her. After being summoned by Master Yoda and her own master, she was now on board the lift that would lead her to the Council Chamber where the masters meet. She hadn't been there often, obviously for good reason. Only the Masters of the Temple were permitted in, and would only allow others to enter if they need to speak with said guests. Ruby herself had only been there a few times throughout her life in the Temple, usually for tests of intellect and the mind.

This time, though, she had zero idea on what could there be this time. With her sudden anger spikes recently, she worried that she had stepped too far into shady territory; somewhere the Jedi encouraged its students to not take. She feared that this could be one of days where she would receive the full bulk of wisdom and discipline of the Masters themselves.

She got herself in a small trance, watching the night lights of Coruscant illuminate the dark sky and to see the sleepless nights be filled with the usual traffic, never to change no matter what time of day it was. Her thoughts were still on the topic of her attendance in the Council Chamber and what the Masters wanted to do for her. She was sure to see Kenta there, being her master and all. Despite his rank as a Knight, he was still required to join in anything involving his Padawan. She wondered what he would have to do in Chamber with her at the moment.

Then, she snapped out of her daydreaming and felt the lift coming to a stop. The doors whooshed right open, signalling her arrival at the Chamber. She walked over to the small skywalk that led right into the room itself where the Masters would sit around in a circle of chairs where she would stand in the middle to present herself. A nervous chill ran down her body, anxious to seeing all the Masters there to give her what she needed to hear.

The doors opened up in front of her, ready to show Ruby the room where the wisest would gather. However, when she first laid her eyes inside, there was nothing but a dark room. All was pitch black with the shutters down, covering the usual viewing glass. The only light she could see was the one behind her. That was quickly shut off when the doors closed, leaving Ruby in the darkness, uncertain about what was going to happen.

Deep inside, something told her to move forward, prompting her to walk to where the centre of the Chamber would be. She did so slowly, remembering where that centre was and stopping there, waiting for something to happen. She was not sure where the Masters were; she was sure they were going to see her as told by Kenta earlier. She couldn't even see the chairs where they would usually be seated on, leaving her with assumption that she was all alone all confused.

 **BBRRRZZZTTT**

Suddenly, in an instant, the room was lit with a circle of different colours of blue, green and a little shade of purple. Ruby's eyes were shot wide open to find that all around her, she could see the shady robes of all the Masters around her. She spun around slowly to identify all who were present.

Master Windu, Master Billaba, Master Fisto, Master Gallia, Master Koth, Master Ki-Adi-Mundi, Master Piell, Master Rancisis, Master Tiin, Master Shaak Ti, Master Kenobi…

Master Yoda and, most surprising of all…

"Master?"

Master Kenta himself.

She eyed the chin she could very well recognize as her that of master's, being edgy and with that tiny beard underneath his hood. In fact, all of the Masters around her were wearing their robes with the hoods draped over their heads while holding their lightsabers to their faces.. She could see most of them were looking at her with faces of discipline, not showing any emotion. She then caught a glimpse at her own Master, who she could see making a proud smile at her. It was then that her worries were gone to see her Master smiling with approval. Now, there were just questions about why she was here anyway. Why was she being summoned to all of the Masters to receive this strange little gathering of theirs?

"Come forth, Padawan." Ruby heard the empowering voice of Master Yoda calling for her, prompting her to move forward. He then lowered his saber down, letting her know to kneel down. She did so, coming down to her knee before the short Jedi Master. Yoda then began a small speech for Ruby, bringing her to a turn of events that she would never expect to happen.

"Padawan Ruby Rose. From a small infant, grew to become one with the Order, you have, showing much promise and dedication to our cause. Even if, pass the Trials, you have not, learnt to become more in tune with the Force, you have." He then raised his saber back before finishing up. "Which is why, by the power of the Jedi Council and the will of the Force…" The shoto saber was then moved back to striking position which told Ruby to bow her head down.

In a sudden moment, Ruby could feel a burning sensation heating up the side of her face. Opening her eyes, she could see the green blade slice up her braid. The very braid she wore to signify herself as a Padawan learner throughout her time in the Temple, under Kenta's tutelage.

This could only mean one thing… It was as if realization hit her hard and fast. The moment her braid was cut off, she was overcome with a mixture of emotions. At one side, she felt the excitement heating up inside, knowing full well about what this was all about. What she was about to become. Then, there was the other side which soon brought her heart a heavy burden. The very problems which troubled her mind all day were now coming back to haunt her even more, now that she was about to be part of the bigger circle. All of these feelings were running wild as she was soon left with more questions of her new role in the Order. She didn't understand why this was happening right now. She didn't know how she could have received this celebrative chance to finally become more than she had ever been. There was so much Ruby Rose could take, and it was filling her with both hype and fear…

But it was all happening for real. Whether she liked it or not, the time had come for her to ascend. The time to rise up and take up a more responsible role in the Order and be part of the greater scheme of things.

The things… she did not want to become involved in.

"Ruby Rose… A Jedi Knight, you are."

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

 **A/N~ So, there you go. It has happened. Ruby Rose is now a Jedi Knight! I know it happened so early in the story, but I feel like Ruby should be given a bigger role as a character, so making her a Knight would be a good way to give her new stories where her skills would be put to the test. It might sound like jumping the shark a little, but this is still a decision I've made and will continue to work with this with pride and prospect for future chapters to come. Also, having an early rise to knighthood was an interesting idea that I shall write down about in the next chapter, so there is some justification for my actions XD**

 **Also, I've also helped established Weiss, Blake and Yang's own starts on the path to the war. Next chapter will catch up with the JNPR characters and eventually the official beginning of the Clone Wars for the RWBY characters.**

 **I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and do note that the next chapter might include some very small hints to the Canto Bight plot of The Last Jedi, so once you get there, you won't be spoiled from the movie.**

 **Once again, thank you so much for reading, and may the Force be with you!**


	9. The War Begins

**A/N~ And we have come to the next chapter. Not just any chapter! This is the final chapter to be released in 2017! I honestly could have not timed to release this chapter at a more special time than New Year's Eve.**

 **It was only months since I started this story, but already I'm receiving a lot of love from you guys! But I wanna say that I'm not just proud of this story, but to all the other ones I've written over the years, even those that I have decided to cancel. I hope that 2018 will give me more time and ideas to write new chapters for every one of my fanfics and give you guys some fun stuff to read.**

 **So, to commemorate my time of writing, here are the final reviewers and other people who have taken their interest in this story before the year ends!**

 **Reviews:**

 **Sinofdark02**

 **Who knows what the future beholds? You'll just need to read on and see what shall happen in the future!**

 **And thank you to anieljesu gonzalez, Sasha37, Cylon One, KoalaKiller, blindkittycat27. Jacob Gustafson, Lukemaster, Dark709, raysouza808, Tayfuno, Little Tattletail, Lolicon-Fetish-Freak, RedFalconWriter, Ragegamer243 and Sir Ludwig for liking the story so far! Also, thanks in advance to anyone who has favourited or reviewed the story before the new year! Every one of you is truly awesome!**

 **Happy New Year to everyone! And now, let us read up the final chapter of 2017, to begin the conflict…**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: The War Begins**

Sanctum's Pride,

Remnant System,

"D'ow!" A stinging blast whipped the nerves of a soldier's knee, causing him to skip backwards in a clumsy tumble. This was where Jaune Arc ended up in; yet another round of training against a lone training droid which was nothing more than a floating white droid-controlled sphere that shifted in random directions every few seconds before zapping him with a yellow blaze of dull electricity. Right behind him, Pyrrha Nikos was watching him with discipline and care, making sure that her new partner was combat-ready by the time he would be deployed with her on the battlefields.

Both were on board Pyrrha's very own custom-made command ship, the Sanctum Pride, currently on its way to Anima. It was relatively large for a personal ship, but it was the prideful wonder of Pyrrha's arsenal, literally painted in her own image. Originally a Defender-class corvette used by the Jedi centuries ago, it has since been taken by a select few of Remnant's most prestigious officers. Pyrrha herself found the ship to be surprisingly agile and swift for a corvette, being manoeuvrable than most other craft of its size. It was the sort of advantage that she used to combat through illegal blockades or pirate fleets in the past, taking the wheel herself when the going got rough. When she was not in action in the air or in space, the ship was then managed by a well-trained crew of engineers and officers who help Pyrrha manage the Sanctum's Pride while she was conducting her missions. Right now, the champion of Mistral was mentoring Jaune in the art of defence at the conference room at the front, right side of the ship's interior.

She watched as Jaune tried desperately to use a small disc-shaped shield in place of his old one to help him work on his reflexes in battle. Surely his larger shield would give a better chance of protection, but when it came to full battle experience, Pyrrha knew he had to improve on his speed and focus in case his shield would fail him.

Both were now out of their combat armour, wearing simpler clothes that were well suited for light training. Jaune wore a simple white shirt and his blue cargo pants while Pyrrha wore a black tank top with red shorts, making themselves more comfortable but also helped to work on their agility during Pyrrha's training of Jaune.

Soldiers of the Remnant system were being prepared to be deployed into the battlefields of the upcoming war against the Separatist Alliance. While regiments were being formed for mainline infantry combat, other soldiers found themselves in other fields of the army where they were specialized for the more obscure or special of circumstances. And that was where one unlikely cadet was brought into straight off the bat.

No one would have guessed that, out of all the known amateur cadets in recent history, Jaune Arc was given the high honour of being the combat partner of one of Mistral's best. Even the man himself was surprised by the sudden revelation that he was qualified to be part of a special task force, despite not having much of the bravery to show it. Apparently, according to Pyrrha Nikos, the woman who chose him in the first place, she did see a golden narglatch within that measly scurrier. However, Jaune would choose to unleash his full courage only when his friends were in dire need. For Pyrrha, even if it was enough to amaze her, it was still not enough to qualify for active duty. If she wanted Jaune to fight by her side, she needed to kick things up in him.

She decided to choose a simple exercise, mandatory for those at the beginning stages in her school, but still became something of a hobby for her during pastimes. A training remote was the best choice for defensive practices. It was normally a tool to train younglings at the Jedi Order, but the device had made its way to multiple training academies across the galaxy. With their own belief in the Force and the fact that war would always pull off unexpected surprises at every turn, Anima's military training units had grown to accept the prime role these remotes had in allowing young military cadets to become in sync with their surroundings and practice defence with the remote's random shots.

It was something that Jaune was not properly atoned to, however.

"DAH!" Another shot to the shoulder and the man had had enough. He waved his hand out to stop the training session, not wanting to be stung anymore. Pyrrha shut down the remote without hesitation, though she did have to let Jaune know that he was not going to rest so easily.

"This is silly!" the Arc complained. "Can't I just like, I don't know, start with firearms or something? And why can't I use my own shield anyway?" Pyrrha shook her head, denying Jaune the luxury of using a more comfortable weapon when she knew the more symbolic one was always there on his right arm for so long before.

"Your shield is a symbol of the Arc family, is it not?" Jaune looked upon the very heirloom of his family; a mighty tool used for generations that had saved the lives of many of his ancestors for as long as the family itself existed. It leaned ever so proudly over the seat next to where Pyrrha was before she got up to lecture its master. "Then, you're going to have to start making use of it in a better way. For that, you'll need to start working on something lighter and faster if you wish to get better on the field."

Jaune sighed, letting her know that he was not going to enjoy his training any longer. So much for being chosen, he thought…

"Keep going, Jaune." Pyrrha never gave up on Jaune, prompting him to keep up the pressure. "We won't stop 'till this is over."

"Easy for you to say." uttered Jaune. "Let's try it again." He huffed up his body to prepare for another round. The training remote was activated with Pyrrha pushing the button on her remote device to start the training again.

As she had told him, Jaune slowly remembered what she taught him so far. He took a deep breath, allowing his mind to take control and let his body relax to fully channel his inner Aura into his limbs to get started. Calmly, he took another slow breath of air to reel in his energy.

 **BZZZT!**

"Aack!" With his body so relaxed, the sudden sting of the remote's laser on his arm cut him off in a violent shock in his body, sending his arm swinging back. He grew to be quite nerved by the surprise attack, which probably aggravated him and sending his body back in its impatient state.

"Slowly, Jaune." advised Pyrrha, sensing his frustration. "Feel the Force flow through you. Allow it to calm your mind and let you hone in to your surroundings. Close your eyes and let it pass through."

"Gee, you really believe in the Force that much, huh?" wondered Jaune.

"Of course!" Pyrrha delightfully acknowledged her beliefs. "It is truly a miraculous power. We don't have to use it like the Jedi do, but we can feel its presence if you give enough effort to your concentration."

Jaune too, believed in such a power. His family was always telling stories of the times they had served alongside countless Jedi Knights; some even boasting about the day the Jedi first came to help the world of Vale to fight in the Great War, where it was believed that the Arc warriors at the time discovered such power by witnessing the might and wisdom of the Jedi in battle.

Although he too admired such an astral presence, he did not really think it was out there to make you better in what you do. He thought it was just some aura of luck and chance, only intervening at the most desperate of times. Perhaps, that was what he thought considering his own unlucky streaks. By listening to Pyrrha, though, he finally learned that some people, even if they weren't Jedi, actually feel the presence of the Force. He did not fully understand its power, at least until he would meet a Jedi or any other Force-user, but right now, the best he could learn from was someone who trained in its presence alone and not by wielding it.

So, he decided to give it a shot. This time, he calmed himself again and closed his eyes, letting his body loose to feel the energy flow through him. With his vision cleared, he could only hear the emptiness around him, with nothing and nobody to talk. Then, he heard it; there was an echoing clicking noise coming from his right. It happened to be the remote's shifting noise as he could pick out where the remote moved with the drift of noise moving along with it. The next few seconds, he heard another shift, this time hearing the drone move to the left and up a bit over his head. He prepared to make his next move, waiting for that third shift to strike.

He waited… and waited… and waited.

 **BZZZT!**

It struck…

Jaune moved his shield directly at the buzzing blast, successfully knocking off the blast. He certainly felt the shot his small shield, giving him instant relief that he had managed to block the attack. Excited, he went for another round. Again, he waited for the right moment before the drone shot. When it did, he then moved about and rushed to deflect another shot. And then, he succeeded in defending himself with another, feeling the joy of finally making progress in training.

 **BZZZT!**

"Ouch!" Perhaps he got a little too excited… Another bolt fazed his leg amidst his excitement. Pyrrha could see the bad timing in Jaune's celebration, making the miss quite amusing. Nevertheless, this was still a great sign of improvement. Jaune put down the shield and faced Pyrrha, seeing what she had to say about his almost successful defence.

"With a little more meditation, Jaune, you'll be able to focus in no time." She walked over to him and deactivated the remote again, concluding the session at last.

"I kind of figured out the pattern." told Jaune. "Three moves and then shoot. That was all the remote did and I could pick it out. I'm not sure if I ever needed to depend on the Force or anything." Pyrrha tilted her head for a second, tolerating Jaune's opinion on his battle style.

"As long as you stay focused, it doesn't really matter. The Force will guide you regardless." Jaune let out a knowing smile. After so long being berated by most of his superiors at the Academy, someone was there to give him support for his training and not yell at him for any inconvenience. He was glad that there was Pyrrha to back him up and make him feel stronger. He hoped that in the scary times ahead, he would be able to come out on top and fulfil the family legacy.

"I can get used to do this whole partner thing." he complimented.

"It will be an honour to have an Arc like you by my side." added Pyrrha, very happy that Jaune grew to accept his new role in the army alongside her. What the war was about to throw at them, they weren't certain. All they knew was that everything was about to get real. For Pyrrha, this would be unlike anything she had ever done. The skirmishes she fought in, the disputes she helped bring down; those were only appetizers for her performance in the bigger conflict. For Jaune, however, this was going to be hell…

* * *

Cantonica,

Corporate Sector,

Outer Rim Territories,

A lone ship jumped out from hyperspace in a blink of an eye. It pulled out of a super bright tunnel of endless light to suddenly bolt into the stars again; with the desolate-looking desert planet of its destination in sight. The rusty-looking Corellian merchant ship flew slowly forward at cruising speed. The flat corvette shaped like a tombstone had a cockpit stuck out right from the centre of the front and had the typical pair of blaster cannons built at the top and bottom of the ship. Powered by two narrow engine boosters at the back and a satellite dish behind the top gun, the freighter made its way towards the planet with a pair of passengers who were on a mission.

"I guess this is it." Ren adjusted the controls to bring the ship to proper speed after its jump from Jedha all the way to his destination. He gazed upon the skin-coloured planet splattered with both dark and light patches of orange and brown, different compared to the darker brown ones found on his home world. After flicking through the switches above him, he turned around to look for his partner for the mission he was sent to.

"Nora? Are you sure this is the-?" The moment he laid his eyes on his partner, Nora was already messing around with a can of food, eating the stuff like a gorging nexu. Needless to say, Ren was not really comfortable with such eating habits.

"Mmm…" Nora rubbed her tummy after a good meal, which Ren thought was perhaps **too** much for her enjoyment.

"Nora, what are you doing?" he asked inquisitively.

"Mmffmm…" Nora tried to talk, still having her mouth full. She then gulped in the big chunk of meat down her throat with no difficulty in an almost disgusting display of gluttony. "This can of bantha jerky ain't so bad after all! You gotta try this!"

"I would, if you hadn't been gorging on the last of those supplements." Ren's statement gave Nora a bit of irritation on her part, hands now on her hips.

"Hey! This is **my** ship!" She shot herself a thumb to her head, pointing out the fact that she was the owner of the vessel. "My ship, my rules!" The ship was once a common trading vessel throughout the galaxy. Nora so happened to snag the one she owned from a rough chase from the law in Corellia. The ship wasn't much to her liking, but it was home. She could carry all the trinkets and trophies and store them in without having to carry them around for show. Ren, on the other hand, saw these rather useless items as nothing more than junk.

"Uh huh." Ren turned his head back to the cockpit glass in front of him, flying the ship on towards Cantonica. Despite his lack of knowledge of the known galaxy, he has taken Nora's ship on multiple trips in the systems surrounding Jedha before, allowing him some experience in flying around the cosmos. This current trip was, however, much more of a new journey for him. There were many questions he had about the galaxy he never knew; questions that he had to suppress.

"Lighten up! We're going to hit the big city at last! Where the richest of the rich make it their all! To be greater than the greatest! To live the luxurious life of a grand nobleman!" Ren couldn't understand Nora's glee for the corporate world. Whenever he thought of the rich and glorious compared to the people of his own world, he often thought of the hopeless scenario where these rich folk had buried themselves in their money all this time that he knew nothing was done to help out the poor. It was suggested that there was something conniving behind the scenes, hiding behind the shiny curtain of their fancy image.

"These people feed off from other worlds, Nora." explained Ren, still disgusted over the thought of such people existing. "All that money and life is such a vile motivation for the greedy. That's the Corporate Sector for you."

"Exactly!" cheered Nora, willing to justify her excitement. "These guys don't give a thing! They all got the mullah to afford the greatest things most forms of money **can't** buy!" Ren shook his head, not wanting to go on and make things more complicated for their conversation.

"Well, don't get yourself too excited." reminded Ren. "We're not here to gamble our savings for some other low-life's fortune. We've got our mission to do." Nora shrugged her shoulders, not really feeling the fun out of Ren's little errand.

"Yeah, yeah. Find that friend of yours and find the relic…" She walked to the dashboard and sat herself next to Ren at the co-pilot seat, kicking back with her feet on the control panel to the right and laid the back of her head on her hands. "This will be a breeze." Ren didn't really agree with Nora; even a young Guardian of the Whills from a backwater world knew well enough that the galaxy was never as simple to go around as she thought, let alone one that was about to burn in the fires of war.

"In a galaxy like this, nothing is ever a breeze, Nora." Pushing the throttle stick forward, Ren fired the ship right for the greedy world before him. He was anticipating to find himself in a city where the corrupted and the despicable aristocrats gather and throw all their money on some of the most unlawful or crooked activities out there.

If everything worked out the way he planned, it would be one sure way to finally hone in on the location of the ancient Jedi relic to return to the Temple back home. Otherwise, he would have to result to his training and the art of _zama-shiwo_ to help him survive whatever danger may come to him. No matter what came his way, all was as the Force willed it and he would have to go with the flow as the dice rolled.

* * *

Concordia,

Mandalore,

Mandalore System,

Her _Kom'rk_ fighter ran for a good few minutes since escaping the ground. Blake was able to reach the clouds by the time the guards contacted their superiors. Keeping her hands on the controls ever so tightly, she was sure she would be pursued by more fighters from the surface. There could be some more waiting in orbit as well, so she was feeling the noose tightening around her, threatening to trap her in and finish her off.

When she could see the sky gradually turned into the endless void of stars, she could also feel the pressure of the gravity well pushing her from the inside. Once she got out of orbit, all the tension was released in an instant, regaining her breath and composure while safely cruising away from the planet of hell. While finally relieved from the actual pressure crushing her, she was still feeling uneasy by the heat she was about to get behind her.

The fears of being caught in the crosshairs again came too soon for her liking. Yellow blazes of laser fire already began to zoom right past her, shooting up her nerves with the sudden sounds of rapid fire passing her ship, coupled with the racketing sounds of metal being blasted all around outside.

From the scanners shown on the screen above her, she could see the red dots blipping all behind the centre where it indicated her own fighter. Five of them to be exact, meaning she was in for a heck of a chase. She pushed the controls to full thrust to try and get into the right position to make the jump to lightspeed while avoiding the Death Watch fighters right behind her, firing upon her with their rotating wings shooting lasers at a wide radius which made manoeuvring around them a whole lot more difficult.

There was no point fighting back. If she turned around and engaged her pursuers, there'd be a good chance more would arrive to make things complicated. The only thing Blake could do was what she planned to do this whole time.

Run. Away from all the lies she heard; away from the diminishing hope of fulfilling her ideals. She needed to run from the White Fang as far away as possible. She planned to retreat to another system far away from Mandalore as possible before she could back and find the one person she wanted to bring along for her exile in life. The friend she could always depend on during her first years in the White Fang. She knew she was on Concord Dawn where she was about to finally enter the real harsh world of the radical ideas of the corrupted organization. Ilia had to be saved, or Blake would be alone in an unforgiving galaxy where she would have nothing else to fight for.

The fighters began to swarm in closer to her fighter, still blazing it with heavy fire at its hull. Eventually, Blake could feel the ship shake violently as another projectile hit the ship. The blast triggered the panicking noises of the ship's alarm system whirring within the cockpit. A red blinking light on her dashboard flashed on and off, giving Blake more of a reason to feel agitated. Her shields were down; having been bombarded by the barrage of lasers behind her. And the shots kept coming, threatening to blast open her hull and blow her up, putting an end to her tragic life for good.

She had to put in all of her efforts to escape the system. Seeing no need for her weapons, she rewired all the power to her engines, making the ship go much faster at the cost of her attack power. Once the ship reached the maximum speed, Blake prepared to flick through the buttons that would send her ship to hyperspace.

The fighters continued to shred her ship's armour apart. At any moment, Blake would be in dire trouble once the insides were exposed. There was nothing more she could do but continue to fly forward and hope she was right in position to make the jump. She closed her eyes, holding on to her last bit of determination that she would make it past the danger and finally escape. The more she sped, the more blaster fire she was sustaining. The lights around her flashed red, indicating a danger level that told her that her fighter was about to be disabled or worse. She began to feel the tremors inside become more violent after each set of hits. Her hands wrapped around the control stick even tighter than ever, about to brace for the possibility that she could blow up and become nothing but a memory.

The ship was now being rocked by more firepower; the controls began to spark out from system failure and the heat was building up from an eventual burnout. Blake was now out of options, ready to embrace death and see no more of her miserable existence…

 **BEEP!**

Then, there was that one beep from her dashboard that gave Blake that flicker of hope. She opened her eyes to see another light being shined upon her. A green one. It was the sign she was waiting for. Moving quickly, she clicked through the buttons and flicked through the switches that would finally see her off the system.

"Come on… Make this work." Despite that she was still in danger, she had that brief moment to make it right. She finished up with the last of the buttons she needed to press, but she then held on and prayed that she managed to get the right sequence from all of the rushing.

When she pressed the button that would activate the jump, she desperately prayed that she was on her way. In front of her screen, she could see the beams of light converge in a bright vortex that was now about to shoot her ship away into the unknown. Blake had done it. She was now finally entering hyperspace. In an instant, the ship had flashed off into nothingness, as if it had been popped like a balloon. The ship was gone, leaving behind the Death Watch fighters to scramble around from their failed attempt at destroying the traitorous Faunus.

Thanks to her quick thinking and precise response to danger, Blake was now out of harm's way… for now…

* * *

Jedi Temple,

Coruscant,

Coruscant System,

Ruby couldn't believe what had happened to her that night. She just got what was probably the ultimate plot twist in her life's story. She had always wanted to be a great Jedi; someone who would go out to make sure the galaxy was a more peaceful place to live in. She had never wanted it to happen like this.

At that moment, everything was a blur to Ruby. She had just been made a Knight. An actual Jedi Knight. A rank only given to those who have passed the Trials to prove their skills and connection to the light side of the Force. She felt that she was far behind anything to be made worthy of even going into the Trials, and yet, she was knighted before she could start thinking about going through with that path. A path she was going to take based on her preparations within the Jedi Order.

She felt quite mixed about the sudden rise in rank. She didn't really feel like she deserved the title as she was far from being ready to take the Trials. Her confusion played with her mind, messing with her thoughts and giving her all sorts of questions. All in all, she could not understand what made the Council decide on her early rise to knighthood.

But it wasn't just the illogical workings behind it all that perplexed her. When she heard that the Jedi were going to war, she felt that she was going to lose all the friends she made who were most definitely going to join the fight; one that would prove bloody and devastating. And now, thanks to the Council, she was going to be part of it as well. Fear was driven into her, making her forget about the endless amounts of times she was reminded to be strong and fight the anguishes in herself. Of all the crazy adventures she had with her Master, she seemed like the one Padawan who would be psyched about going on an even more dangerous crusade. Alas, the thought of going through a conflict which would see death and destruction at a rate never before imagined was all too much for her to take.

"Congratulations, my old Padawan." Yet, even with her fears, her own Master didn't seem to notice her anxiety. It was plain clear on her face. Why was he not worried about her? "Or should I just refer to you now as Ruby from here on?" Ruby remained silent, refusing to play along with her Master's attempts at cheering her on.

The silence was already noticed by Kenta. To be honest, he had already predicted Ruby's appalled reaction to her knighting the moment he heard that the Council was willing to make her a Knight. In fact, she wasn't the only one. Many more Padawans were being rushed to knighthood, as a way to increase the number of Jedi warriors to be sent to battle. It was a move that he found to be very troublesome, if not completely bogus. Regardless, despite his initial opposition to the idea, he decided to let the Council run its course, rising his Padawan to prominence, even if she didn't make it to the Trials yet. He had been loyal to the Masters so far, and they didn't fail him once. It was just that, being in war at all, he was beginning to think that the Council was starting to put their opinions to the test. Whether this was a bold move or a misconception of ideas, he was not certain. He just had to follow along for he had no choice but to allow things to happen.

"Oh come on. Now what's wrong?" He asked his Padawan, although it was plain clear she wasn't liking the Council's choice.

"I just don't understand." confessed Ruby. "Why did the Council make me a Knight? I've never even been close to taking the Trials. Why make me a Knight now?" At last, Kenta could finally stop pulling wool over her eyes. He let his breath out in a mixture of anxiety and disappointment, as opposed to the false face of cheers he just had.

"It's been a subject of debate." he told Ruby. "As far as I've seen from our Masters, apparently, your ascension to Jedi knight has been very… mixed." Ruby had thought just as much; to hear that this sudden ascension was not a hundred percent approved, it was enough to give her chills about the way things were going to be. "But it was in favour of the majority. Because of this war, the Council could use all the Knights they could have. And you, Ruby, are just one of those worthy of being one." Again, Ruby was not seeing the picture. She was not on board with what her Master was telling her. She was not qualified to go through with the Trials, so why was Kenta telling her that she was already ready to face the tribulations of a Knight?

"I'm not sure if you could have passed the Trials, but what is certain is that you are indeed skilled enough. You've helped wrestle down certain criminal plots, hunted down several cult groups threatening the Republic, and even guided the younglings throughout your time here." Kenta was taking his speech to heart. Even if the decision to knight Ruby was questionable, he had to remember what Master Yoda used to tell him.

Trust in the Force. As he had mentioned, if Ruby was beyond all the things he had reminded her of, then surely enough it was probably as the Force willed it.

"Plus, let us not forget your prowess in combat as well." he added. "It's not common to see a Padawan take on a group of gundarks all on her own, and won without her Master's aid. You even saved me from those Black Sun pirates during our mission to Fondor."

Ruby couldn't really have the energy or reason to smile brightly. She knew how hard she worked to fulfil her Master's teachings and gladly reminisced about those wacky adventures of hers. She just didn't think it was all well enough to prove her worth to becoming a Knight. Nevertheless, she found the mood to give a small smile, grateful for her Master for his part in showing her the way to becoming a Jedi.

"All thanks to your teachings, Master Kenta." While she was feeling a little bit better, she could not shake off the feeling of fear that she would face the horrors of war. And that was not all she had to worry about…

"But, there is still much fixing needed." Kenta then continued with a critical tone. "Apparently, you are still reckless and you lack discipline. I must always be there to lecture you should you disobey an order from me or the Council." At once, her thoughts were washed away, going into another one of those defensive arguments to save what little prowess she had over her actions.

"Hey! If it weren't for me not listening to you, you would have been squashed back at Fest." she reminded.

"That was only a lucky chance, Ruby." Kenta fired back with a low but solid comment. "You are already a Knight by approval of the Council. At this point, you would have been disciplined enough to carry out decisions with wisdom and patience. Two traits that you tend to lose in battle."

Ruby wanted to fight back, but after what she had been through, she knew already that she could never best her Master in the battle of minds. He was right. She couldn't bear to hold in her excitement when jumping into the thick of the action, making her impulsive and quite rough when it came to battling. It was something her Master always disciplined her for.

With nothing left to fight with, Ruby finally gave up saying anything. She had to let her Master be right about what he thought of her.

"Fine. I will try and…" Just as she was about to pledge her efforts, Kenta stopped her, finger pointing up as to silence her.

"No. Try not. Do. Or do not." He put down his hand and shook his head, showing Ruby the real way of approaching her problems.

"There is no try." Yes, it was the same thing she was told by Master Yoda. And in her heart, she understood what it meant. Never to attempt and assume how things would go. Just believe in the Force and take on the danger with faith and calm.

"I will do my best, Master." She bowed, with new hope filling in for the war ahead. "I promise." Master Kenta then placed his hand on her shoulder, letting her know that he was behind her all the way. He too was going to be pushed into the conflict, so he had to give his full support to his old Padawan, even if he was not going to be there for her most of the time.

"Despite all the flaws and shortcomings, you have proven yourself time and time again. Even if your rise to the rank of Knight was due to a desperate attempt to prepare for war, you are, without a doubt, a great student. And I couldn't be any prouder to be your Master." confessed Kenta. Finally, it was enough to give Ruby enough to make her trademark smile, thankful for the Master who took her so far.

"And I couldn't have asked for a better Master than you, Master Kenta." The two finally bowed to each other, quite enough the affection the teacher and the student could give. No doubt, however, Kenta was a wonderful father figure, even if she had her own. Speaking of whom, she hoped that one day, she could return home to help her father from his depression, and give him the joy he so deserved. The only way to do that was to bring Yang back home.

For now, she had to think about the war, still worried about the horrible things she might have to face. The deaths, the destruction, the fear… She had to face through all of this in such dastardly times.

"I really wish we could have avoided all of this, Master." said Ruby. "I'm just not sure if I'll ever be ready for war."

"I'm afraid times have changed, Ruby." responded Kenta, equally concerned. "Soon, we will be called to serve a greater duty. One that shall determine the fate of the galaxy. War tends to do that most of the time." Then, he corssed his arms, as if he had thought about something that might lift the burden up from Ruby's shoulders. "But you know what? Once we pull through and end this war quickly, we could finally make the galaxy a better place. I just know it."

Ruby's concerns were soon replaced with hopeful thoughts. Granted, she was still shaking from the idea of war, but it didn't matter if she was a Knight or not; one thing was clear and that she had to contribute and help win the war, not just for the Jedi or the Republic, but for everyone in the galaxy. This was her chance to make things right.

"I'm sure we can prevail, Master. As long as we trust in the Force, right?" With their sights set on victory and peace, the two Jedi could now enjoy a little bit of fun before the inevitable conflict. A friendly conversation was just what they needed. Things, however, were going to be a little bit different between them. Before the turn of events, they were teacher and student.

Now, as of this moment, they were both Knights, ready to fight alongside each other as equals, not in skill or power, but as blood siblings, standing up for what was right.

"Now, let me tell you more about Geonosis. You won't believe the stuff I've been through…"

* * *

Coruscant,

Coruscant System,

Now, the powder kegs have been lit up and blown apart. The war was finally about to kick off. Numerous systems throughout the galaxy were already waging their bets and contributions to the two sides of the conflict.

The Republic and the Separatists. Two different powers with different ways of fighting a war. It was the militaristic might of a clone army against a mechanical menace of a droid one. The fate of the galaxy now rested within these two factions consisting of an ever-shifting balance of allegiances. The Republic would have to mobilize before more systems were to be lost to the Confederacy.

As such, the clone armies were prepared to deploy, marching through the city of Coruscant to demonstrate the tremendous power and superiority of the Republic war machine to the galaxy. Large squares of white-armoured soldiers crowded the wide open spaces of landing zones, grouped up with battle walkers and armed gunships; all waiting to be loaded into large, triangular starships that would then lift them all the way to the forming battlefields of the galaxy.

While politicians may ravel in the glorious battles ahead, some others would not see the light of the growing conflict. Even with all of their opposition towards open conflict, the Jedi Order knew they had to pledge their loyalty to the cause of peace and safety of the galaxy, leaving them no choice but to send their own warriors to battle.

It was the thing that one individual was not happy about. Watching the armies march into their transports from atop the roof of a skyscraper, a lone cloaked figure stared on with dread. He had long predicted the day would come that the Jedi Order was now falling into a state of uncertain doom, and he was seeing it all unfold in front of his eyes. He lowered the cowl hiding his head, revealing a man, dirty and sour in appearance, but all of that hid the inner wisdom that he harboured ever since he left the Order.

"I don't think Summer would have been prepared for this…" the man wondered. "To see her daughter become a Knight so early, and to be sent to a war from which we won't come back alive from." He took out a canteen from his belt and unscrewed the cap, drinking up a somewhat savoury fluid before wiping his mouth and gulping down the fluid to return to the sour taste of reality hitting him hard.

"Seriously. What has the Council come to these days?"

* * *

Atop the landing platform just outside the Temple hangar, Ruby walked forward, exiting the complex she called home to finally head off to embrace the duty of fighting for peace. Her red cape was blasted by the wind as it fluttered strongly with the breeze. She looked around to see other Jedi being loaded into the same gunships she once saw at the assembly halls where she first laid eyes on the very soldiers she was going to fight with.

There she saw a few of her good friends like Velvet, Yatsuhashi and more also heading off to join the fight. After all the times she spent with them, she feared that she would never see these wonderful friends ever again. She could only hope that they would make it out alive so she could enjoy the victory with them. That is, if she could help win the war…

There was no time to think about all that. She had to face the then and now; she had her own missions to do. Right off the bat, she was already on her way to do one. Her first mission of the war was about to come.

In front of her, Ruby could see the shuttle she was going to take to her next destination. She was to recover a lost droid that held some information about the Republic that would prove vital to the war effort. She felt the whole burden being brought back to her, feeling the pressure of a critical mission being given to her. If she failed this, then it would give her new enemy the upper hand. She could not afford to lose this mission. She was going to finally prove that she had what it took to help the Republic.

The vessel she was going to take was another new sight for her. She stared at its strange design, with a wide and long dorsal fin on top and two bent wings, flipped upwards to reveal the landing gear. The cockpit of the shuttle stuck out forward in a bulky head with the boarding ramp being lowered below it. These were the kind of stuff Ruby would be excited about; seeing new machines and weapons were all the rage for her, despite being taught to not indulge in such matters. Perhaps now, she would have a reason to care about these new things, to better understand how they work and how she would use them in the war.

Ruby was about to enter the ship, but not before seeing her Master standing right in front of the ship. She knew that he wouldn't be accompanying her this time, but she was not going to let the loneliness get to her.

"Well…" she uttered, taking a deep breath from the nervousness. "This is it."

"You seem nervous, my old Padawan." Kenta was quick to notice the expression on her face.

"I'm still just… not sure if I'm ready for this." Ruby shook her head, still wondering if things would have been different if war was not happening right now. She then looked back to how things were before the war was announced. It was weird how sudden the feeling sank in when she was being pulled into this unfortunate event. "Funny. It was just yesterday when I was still a Padawan learner, feeling like taking on the galaxy. Then now, I'm a Knight. Not full-fledged, but still… a Knight. I don't think I'll ever be ready soon enough for the chaos."

"No." reminded Kenta again. "Don't think. **Feel**. Let the Force guide you, and you'll be on your way." Ruby remembered well, taking in another deep breath and letting the energy inside of her flow smoothly to give her a head-start for the troubles ahead.

"To Iego, I go then!" she finally cheered, making Kenta give out a smile as well.

"That's my Padawan." Finally, the time had come; for both master and apprentice to go their separate ways. Ruby was told that Kenta was to be sent to another mission to meet up with his own clone forces. She wondered that, since she was a Knight now, would she get a clone force of her own? How awesome would it be to be followed by a squad of clones to fight her battles with? She could squeal in anticipation for such a chance to test her leadership skills, as she so claimed to have anyway.

There was no time to dream about leading soldiers in shining armour and cool weapons to battle now. She had to focus on the mission at hand. No matter how boring it may have sounded, Ruby accepted that it was still a mission she had to take for the Jedi Order and the Republic. So, with her thoughts cleared and goals set, she moved on towards the shuttle, but not before hearing her Master call out to her with the words of encouragement she always loved to hear.

"May the Force be with you!" She turned around and smiled back, wishing her old Master the same.

"You too… Kenta." The Jedi Knight cracked a grin. Finally, she could call him his real name without being restricted to honorifics, at least not all the time. Kenta waved back, accepting Ruby's slightly more informal wish to him. He watched as she disappeared into the transport before the ramp was lifted, not to be seen for a while. The ship was then lifted into the air, taking off to Ruby's first mission.

As the transport began to take flight and soar into the sky, Kenta prayed to himself. Through the Force, he pledged his hopes that Ruby would be able to rise even wiser than before, to become the Knight she always wanted to be and save the galaxy alongside her masters and everyone else she knew and would know later on. Today, her skills were about to be put to the test.

Today, the war begins…

* * *

 **A/N~ And that was that! Finally, we're about to kickstart the story and have our characters fight in the big war ahead of them. I hope everyone has enjoyed this chapter and here's to a bright future ahead of us!**

 **Once again, Happy New Year and let us pray that we will have a great 2018! May the Force be with us all!**


	10. The Lost Droid

**A/N~ Alright! So, we are finally about to kick-start the war with a Yang! Well, not entirely so since this will be a Ruby-centric chapter, but still, we're going to begin the chaos and adventure the Clone Wars shall offer for the characters of RWBY!**

 **And let's get to the reviews!**

 **REVIEWS**

 **Cy Man:**

 **Thanks for the great review! It's really this kind of feedback that makes me quite accomplished and aware at the same time, spotting mistakes and inconsistencies and helping me work on them too. I'll be sure to keep on writing and making sure I'll get the facts right in the future :)**

 **Sir Ludwig:**

 **Well, it's always nice to acknowledge the people who have taken a definite liking to my story XD As for ideas, I'll consider asking if I need help. Otherwise, thank you so much for the review :)**

 **And please give an applause to fenrir0612, kuranodesu, tomasaurusrex2, Drarnegas, Dinosaur Imperial Soldier, Lena 'Slipstream' Oxton and blackwing95 for pressing the Favourite and Follow buttons and staying tune to the story!**

 **And so, we shall begin my 2018 fanfic craze with a new chapter! Enjoy and may the Force be with you!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: The Lost Droid**

Iego,

Outer Rim Territories,

This was it. Ruby's very first mission as Jedi Knight. She had never wanted to be part of this brewing war, and yet, here she was, heading out through the galaxy without her Master to guide her. Since her departure from Coruscant, she was feeling a little bit tight in her heart about going on a mission all by herself. She was an official Knight and by encouragement of the Council, Ruby had to expect more of these lone trips to help win battles for the Republic.

"APPROACHING DESTINATION NOW, MASTER JEDI." The droid pilot reported. She could feel the anxiety coursing through her body as she neared her location, to find a missing Republic droid somewhere

There was so much she had to wonder from this first mission. Was the droid going to be hard to find? Would it be caught by some greedy junk dealer to be opted for selling? Or worse still, was it about to be decommissioned? She was only briefed that the droid was located on the planet Iego, where it was said it hid a hidden beauty from within. Ruby always heard the tales of the Angels; beautiful beings from Iego whose serenity was well regarded. She might have even heard Anakin Skywalker himself reputing about them at one point, though it might have been from what he has heard from outside sources.

Other than that, she was also given the exact place where the droid was last seen. It appeared it was accompanying a Jedi adept on a mission two centuries ago, to oversee negotiations of a small border war on some other system, stopping at a city in Iego for refuelling. Ever since then, the Jedi and his droid had disappeared. The Jedi Council then identified that the adept was killed in an assassination attempt planned by one of the belligerents of the conflict; his body sent back for his burial. The droid, however, was nowhere to be seen afterwards. While most had to assume it was destroyed during the murder, the fact that they did not find any of its remains left much to be discussed. The droid was claimed to have lots of important information about the Republic and the Jedi that should it fall into the wrong hands, it would most certainly be a blow to the both of them. Thus, it was Ruby's mission to find and retrieve the droid to have its data extracted back to Republic hands.

Ruby found it quite strange that the Jedi didn't even bother to look for the droid after finding out what happened to the dead adept. If that droid was so important, then wouldn't they make an effort to locate it, or whatever was left of it? Perhaps it was the typical notion that droids were seen as nothing more than tools or accessories for everyone, even the Jedi. She wanted to think that there was a tight connection or some bond between the Jedi and his droid, but without any specifics into his life, nothing was for certain.

Ruby would sure love to have a droid, not just as a helpful assistant to perform maintenance or technical purposes. She would definitely find a droid which could be something like a pet, or even a friend. Back in the Temple, she used to occasionally help with fixing other Jedi's droids, often seeing their less than joyful expressions when the repairs were done. However, there was one notable exception.

It was always the happiest of appointments when she was brought to help fix the astromech of Anakin Skywalker, who he called Artoo. Every time Ruby would fix the white and blue R2 unit, it... No, **he** would not just accept the maintenance and just roll off as most other droids were programmed to do. He would roll around and spin his cute dome with little chirps of joy and come up to Ruby as if to say thanks. All of this was confirmed as definite gestures of gratitude when Skywalker himself told her exactly Artoo said to her. It was these fun moments that made her feel warm inside, to understand that somewhere inside of all of that circuitry and electronics, even droids had some degree of sentience and feelings.

It has certainly inspired Ruby to extend her studious interests in droids, especially astromechs because, well, they were cute. Even down to learning binary code to speak with droids like Artoo, the young Knight's curiosity for the technological wonders and also terrors became quite the advantage in some of her missions.

Skywalker and Artoo certainly had some brotherly love between themselves. Could Ruby ever have such a relationship with a droid like theirs? She could use some company to back her up, now that she was going to go to battle without her Master most of the time.

Ruby did her best to lose the tension in her body. She had to remember the times where she used to go on alone without Kenta during some of their missions. Most of the time, he was always keeping an eye on her, making sure she wouldn't go overboard. After some time to get used to his habits, she grew to become more comfortable around his watchful gazes, fighting alongside her should the situation demand it. Now, however, she was finally on her own, with no ally to watch her back. At least, not for now.

"I AM PICKING UP NO TRACES OF ANY CONFEDRATE SIGNATURES. ALL IS CLEAR." Honestly, Ruby didn't really feel any better about the absence of enemy troops or ships. She was so new into the whole war thing that everything seemed so foreign to her. She wasn't sure what to expect; she hasn't even faced a battle droid before, even during her own adventures with Master Kenta. She only faced pirates, wild beasts and some of the occasional crooks of the underworld. Facing an army of well-armed battle droids was going to be the toughest challenge she was ever going to face. Based on what she had learned from droids, these B1 battle droids of the Trade Federation were weak on their own, but in battalions, they were an army of ants waiting to swarm all over their prey down.

She heard that her destination was going to be a small city built at the walls of a cliff, too small for any large scale battle. She did, however, have to watch out for the skies. This wasn't going to be some small scuffle like before. For all she knew, the enemy army had squadrons of Trade Federation fighters ready to bombard the Republic wherever they went. There was no turning back for cover if that should happen to her.

There was no time to think negatively. Ruby was going to accept the hardships of war, whether she liked it or not. She was sure many of the early Knights of her level were also going through the same feelings, but most of the ones she knew were admittedly more mature than she was. If they could take the heat, then maybe she could too.

All she needed was some meditation. Although strapped into her seat built into the side wall of the ship's inside, she took the time to enjoy her last moments of comfort before she would embark on the lone mission to search for the Republic droid.

Ruby felt the ship getting closer to the planet, through the gravity well tightening up the insides of her body. She was then freed from the pressure when the shuttle finally passed. Now that she was safely on the world, she unbuckled her seat belt and went up to the cockpit. She was eager to find out what her destination was like, always so intrigued by what she would see in front of her. There was a slight ease in her curiosity without Kenta to tell her to remain seated. She could now freely walk about and see what was going on. Perhaps one little bending of the rules wouldn't hurt…

She stood behind the seat of the droid pilot and steadied her hand behind it, watching with awe of the scenery around her. The planet's surface was barren and dry, with large spires of rock towering over cliffs. Below these cliffs was a constant blanket of fog and mist, blocking anything on the ground from being seen by anything and anyone. Ruby scanned the terrain, still feeling immersed in this new world she was exploring. Even if it looked dead and empty, there was no stopping her from thinking of the possibilities that somewhere in this dry world, life lived in strange ways.

After a while, she then spotted civilization at last. The shuttle was nearing the city of their destination, with the buildings built like towers over a large platform sticking out of the cliffs. There wasn't much activity going on around here, with very few transports moving about. It seemed like the place wasn't much of a popular attraction or of capital city status; just a quiet place for its population to live without having to face the problems of the galaxy.

The RX-series pilot droid put the ship to a slow halt, descending down on the frontal landing platform within range of its optics. It worked with its mechanical arms, turning the control stick with robotic motions as if they moved in each direction to steady the ship, step by step. It turned its head around to face the Jedi passenger behind it, waving its arm to give a salute to Ruby for a safe venture into the cliff-bound city.

"LANDING IN THIRTY SECONDS, MASTER JEDI. I WISH YOU LUCK IN YOUR MISSION." A smile crept up on Ruby's face. Hearing the droid 'wishing' her good luck on her mission made her feel a little amused, knowing that the sentence was only programmed into it which lacked any emotion or warmth in its voice. She only found the effort its makers must have made to cheer up its passengers that was kind of funny.

Well, enough of the ride and her desires for the perfect droid companion, it was time to get serious. When the shuttle landed on the platform, she was going to be in for a day of looking for a single droid that could prove beneficial to the Republic. Though she couldn't help but feel sorry for the droid in question; not only was it abandoned to rust in this quiet city away from the Jedi Temple, but to now be one of many centres of attention for the war, it was going to bring a lot of unwanted trouble for the little guy.

She had to rescue the droid before the Separatists would come for it. She didn't know what to expect from her new enemy. Would they come in those large battle formations she heard from Master Kenta during his time on Geonosis? Or would they just send and agent to hunt down the droid just as it was back when its master was killed? She had to prepare for the worst, with her custom-made saber pike folded into its compact form carried on her back, underneath her cape to hide it from watchful eyes.

Finally, the landing ramp was brought down and the doors opened up, revealing the small community of people walking around to visit stalls and shops, as well as droids and other workers lifting up cargo to be loaded in and out of other landed ships on other platforms. She was a little too inexperienced to know it, but the sight of a Republic ship on the landing platform was bound to raise some eyes from the locals in the area. She could see some bystanders whipping their heads towards her direction, as if she was somewhat known to them.

Ruby refused to take any notice, more focused on the mission to be seen by everyone around her. She walked off her ship and headed off deeper into the city to start searching. While doing so, she was letting her appearance give off some reactions to the crowd. The sight of a lone being with the soft robes and majestic-looking hood and cape was already spiking up some curiosity about where she came from.

Nevertheless, she could take comfort in knowing that she could go through with her mission with ease. It was easy to remember that among the billions living in the galaxy, there were only about ten thousand Jedi out there. Needless to say, their presence wasn't widely known, despite the tales told throughout history. Perhaps Ruby could go along with it and hope the citizens here in Iego were not as well-informed as most systems within the Republic.

For now, she seemed to appear as innocent and pure as some of the Angels who inhabited one of the large moons above the planet without giving out any clue that she was a mystical warrior of any sort. Ruby made her way into the city and into the relatively quiet and small crowd of other pedestrians who seemed to have nothing else to do but live life or do business in the docking area.

So, it was time for Ruby to get to work, to find the missing droid and return it to Republic hands. Her first place to look would be the obvious place to start; any place where they could be selling droids or their parts. She must have also faced the fact that it had been two hundred years since the droid lost its master, so some information could have been lost and would leave her with nothing effective to be used to narrow her search. She hoped that any vendor or shopkeeper would have some records that the previous owners of their stores would leave behind that could give her some leads.

Even if there was some light in her investigation, it was going to be one long day indeed…

* * *

Ruby was quite invested in her mission to find the droid she was sent for. She didn't even stop at the local motel to book a night's stay if she knew it was going to be quite a long mission. Yet, somewhere inside of her, she was going to give it a shot and find the droid as best she could and aspired to locating it in just an hour or two before she could be off back home.

Alas, it was already taking her six long hours and after all that time searching every nook and cranny of the city, there was just not a single sign of the droid anywhere. She looked for every shop she could find that might have had some witness to the droid, which on hindsight, meant every single one of them!

She even went to the murder site, which was also recorded in her mission file, but still could not find any leads to where it might have gone to. She had been searching the city for a good six hours now, and it felt like she had been walking in circles, failing to find anything that could lead her to the droid. Eventually, she had to look for the last bit of the city she hasn't explored yet.

Outside at the very edges of the landing platform that housed her ship, she went to one of the stalls she didn't manage to visit. To her relief, it was indeed a droid shop, as evident by the amount of parts, circuits, gears, thingamajigs and even the bodies of numerous models all stacked up or shelved for display, showcasing all sorts of equipment to buy. Ruby felt that this could be the place. It wasn't as big as the last droid seller she visited, but she was willing to take any chance she could get to find the droid there. It was probably her last chance to finding it.

"Can I help you, ma'am?" the human seller called. "I've got all the things you can possibly want for your very own droid! Parts, gizmos, other piles of stuff. I got it all here!" Ruby didn't hesitate to get close and personal with the collection of droids and parts inside. After looking around, there was no sign of the model she was looking for. Not even an old piece of part that fit the era of its prominence.

She turned to the vendor, who seemed a little discomforted by her presence. His brows furrowed like he was being chased by a ghost or something. Like he was anxious, waiting for someone else. It was probably a not-so-lucky day for him, lacking any profitable gains.

"I'm looking for a T3-model droid. Do you happen to have one?" The seller looked around to look at the arrangement of droid bodies lining up against the counter behind him. He then turned back and delivered the news to Ruby.

"Sorry, miss. I don't have any of those." After telling the man with the goatee at the counter the type of droid she needed, she was again being pelted with rejection, giving her a sour taste of defeat in her search. "These models haven't been in centuries. Wouldn't you like the standard R2-units instead?" The man showed Ruby the assortment of shut-down astromechs, rusty and full of dust, lying there for her to choose. It was true that the T3's were old news immediately by the time newer and more successful models were released long before even the R2-units. This was probably the unlucky break Ruby did not want to stumble upon.

As tempting as the offer was to an R2 unit for herself, Ruby decided that it was not worth the money. She needed to stick with what she needed to do.

"Actually…" she told the man. "I'm looking for a specific droid. I think it was last seen here in this city." She then decided to hand the man her datapad to show the exact droid she needed to find. The man took a good look at the screen, scanning for the details of the droid. Ruby didn't need to worry about exposing herself to the man of her identity. The datapad she was using was slightly altered to look like something that belonged to a traveller's tool or a collector's guide tagging numerous trinkets and other items of interest throughout the galaxy. "It belonged to a Jedi not too long ago." The man grabbed his chin, somehow interested in the droid he was looking at.

"Ah." he nodded his head. Ruby sensed the man may have known something about the droid she showed him. " **This** droid, eh?" She moved forward immediately and smacked her hands on the counter, surprising the man.

"You know anything about it?!" she excitedly asked. The seller stepped back in a flurry of shock and got back to Ruby after clearing his throat. The young Jedi rubbed the back of her head apologetically after her excitement was let loose.

"I'm sorry, girl." Her excitement was not to last, being shot back with another negative on her questioning. The disappointment kicked in again, leaving her right back to where she was before; lost and defeated. "But that droid has been sold off a long time ago. One of my shop's past owners did the job of giving it to some other traveller. You sure you don't want any other droid?"

"No, that's fine." She shook her head, still unsatisfied with the unfortunate loss. She was still hopeful for at least a few more leads to where the droid might be now. "Do you happen to know who the person was?" Yet again, she was given no clue to the whereabouts of the droid or its last new owner.

"Sorry, lady. I can't really help 'ya there." Ruby scoffed in her head, not wanting to show her disappointment in front of the seller. She had to show a neutral face to avoid unnecessary questions. "Why do you even need such a droid? It's old news, missy." That was one of those questions, prompting Ruby to try and make a pass on that question to protect her mission. This was now turning to a dead end, right as soon as she began, like going out on your very first walk as a baby, only to not being able to open the door to get out.

"Never mind." She decided it was time to end her search. Six hours of searching had been for nothing; every shop she visited and every corner of the city to look for, there was nothing she could find or use to complete her first mission. "I'll just be leaving then." After waving goodbye, the Jedi Knight turned away and left the stall, and a less-than-disappointed seller to shrug off his missed chance to sell more.

Pity too. She looked like someone who had a decent amount of money to wanting to buy something as rare and ancient as a T3-series utility droid. For now, he had to accept having no sales today; there was going to be something more special on its way for his business.

It didn't really matter if he didn't get to sell off something to her, he had bigger plans for himself. In fact, he was relieved when the girl outside his stall. He walked into the house behind his stall, entering the living room where rock walls surrounded the casual furniture and other stuff and collectibles of poor quality; arranged untidily and probably unused. He reached for a door at the other end of the room, opening it up to reveal a messy closet of more scrap and spare parts, rustier and dustier than the ones he sold. Within that closet, however, was his prized possession. The one thing he most needed to sell to his specific customer and get loads of cash to escape the boring unprofitable life on Cliffhold City.

"You stay back there, you rascal." He snarled at the lone droid inside the tiny space, contrasting from his initial politeness he showed to the mysterious young girl outside. The little astromech retreated into what little room it had, turning its head in frantic spastic shakes as if to show fear towards the oppressive threats of the human. The droid seemed a bit battered in many places around itself, filled with small dents and scratches added with smudges of dirt and patches of dust around its rusted body. The seller kept his angry gaze at the droid with pure frustration, making sure to keep the mechanized nuisance in its place.

"You're not leaving this store until your **real** customer gets here." His warning continued to subdue the droid to further submission. It seemed the droid had tried to escape the torturous abuse the human was forcing upon it. An escape attempt that definitely failed, resulting in the droid's body being whacked at, damaging its already aged plating. "If you dare leave this place again, I'll sell you for scrap instead!"

The doors shut, leaving the droid back in the darkness. The human seller let out a gruff cough from the dust blown from the door closing. He stomped his way back to the stall while awaiting the time for that customer to come pick up the droid. He probably regretted damaging the outer structure of the droid, but all that mattered was that it was still functioning and moving about, given its previous escape.

He still had to wonder why anyone would want this old piece of junk anyway. Why did everyone want such an antiquated model like it? First, it was the mysterious contact who called him about it. Then, there was this girl who came close to finding out about his possession of the droid. He decided to choose to sell the droid to the former. His contact definitely had the larger sum of money to give him, much more than that girl would have ever had.

That was all he needed; a lot of money to help him live the good life for a long time to come…

* * *

Ruby was about to head over to the local motel to finally call it a day. It was going to take another day to fully refuel her ship with enough fuel to return to Coruscant to report her findings to the Council.

She had to prepare for what to say to the Council. At least not finding the droid was beyond her control. It was simply the case of a forgotten droid that was unfortunately sold off to someone else right in the middle of the ignorance of its existence by the Council. She hoped the droid was in better hands; she'd be very upset if the droid ended up with a troubled owner who would probably discard him for spare parts or worse. Now, there was no point crying over spilt blue milk. She had to accept the possibility that the droid was gone for now. She wondered if the Council had some records of the droid somewhere in the records, since it was belonged to a Jedi of that temple. Maybe she'll find her search there and hopefully find a way to locate the droid; if its transponder was still working and not found by its new owner, that is…

"Excuse me, ma'am." Suddenly, she was called by a young male voice from behind her, prompting her to stop and turn around. Behind her, she saw a young boy waving to her while being seated on a shabby hammock hanging in between two supports of the awning of the building behind him. His bright face was dirtied by smudges of dirt and his brown hair was messy, matching the poor and ragged robes he wore. He looked very young, almost a few years behind Ruby, maybe. Yet, his voice sounded off like a kid who knew how to live in the tough alleys of the city. "I believe you're here for something."

"Uh, yeah." Ruby obliged, surprised that the boy was somehow aware of her plight. "Actually, I am." She walked over to the boy, wondering if there could be something the boy could do for her while she was still at a loss. "I'm looking for a droid that was last seen here. But I'm sort of out of luck here." The boy jumped out of his hammock and went over to the older Jedi, hands clasped behind his back while giving his attention to Ruby.

"May I know what the droid looks like?" he asked, intrigue building up.

"I guess…" Ruby dug through for her datapad again, gave it to the boy who then looked at the screen which showed the same info file about the droid. "This is it." She waited for a response as the boy took a read through the details on the device. The Jedi tapped her foot, clearly aspiring for a break in the case, that the kid might know something. The chances of him even recognizing it were dangerously slim, but she held onto to faith that there could be a new path to finding what she needed and help the Republic gain an edge over the enemy.

"Ohhh…" Ah! A sign. Her eyes widened with anticipation. This kid seemed to know something. It was slight, but every little thing counted for Ruby. "This T3, huh?" Her excitement mounted, but she kept her expectations as low as she could. Anything was possible. Her hopes were still reaching the roof, begging to the Force that the kid had at least some information on the droid. A clue, a sign, a definite answer. She had to accept anything at this point, as long as it led somewhere.

"Ma'am. I have just what you're looking for." Ruby couldn't hold it in. She practically ran for the boy to get the answers she wanted so bad. The chance to succeed on her first mission had just opened up again.

"Really?!" she exclaimed with the utmost joy; her over-excited expression startling the boy. However, when she thought about it, there was one little thing that didn't seem to fit. "But that vendor told me that the droid was sold off to someone else before him."

"Oh, Grondor?" The boy spoke with mock disbelief, before giving out a raspberry to show Ruby how much he knew about that grumpy old vendor. "Yeah, he's not really the type to be trusted." Ruby thought as much. That seller had been playing a trick on her the whole time. She could probably use a bit of a visit to him and show him how offended she was towards being swindled from buying it.

"No worries, I just stole the droid from him, and is now ready to be sold." The boy assured before laughing out the salt to Grondor's injury of the loss. "And he doesn't even know it! So if you want your droid, you're going to have to make the deal now." Ruby seemed to question the ethics of how this boy obtained the droid. She was a little hesitant about making a deal from someone who had just stolen from another. Then again, she was told a lie by that particular someone, and the mission was vital to both the Jedi and the Republic. Supposedly, she would have to accept the deal anyway; get the droid and leave off with humility over her results. The mission would be over and the war would be off to a good start.

"Great!" She snapped her fingers, accepting the offer without reluctance. "Take me there!" The boy swung his hand around and shot it out to the direction of where he was about to take her to.

"Right this way! Jaybo Hood's got you covered." Soon, the two made their way to the place where Ruby could finally get her droid and be on her way back home. She only had to hope that she had enough credits to afford it. Otherwise, she'd be a bit of a deadweight and would be forced to prolong the stresses of managing at crunch time.

* * *

Ruby was soon taken to a small junkyard somewhere deep inside the city. It was probably around the same corner she had recently searched at, even dropping glances at the area but couldn't seem to find anything without intruding into the property. Now, she knew the place was Jaybo's and he would give her the droid without having to dig through the thrash herself.

She walked through the arched entranceway and was led through a clear dirt path that was flanked by heaps of metallic or mechanical junk and scrap. The conditions for most of what Ruby saw were rather unsanitary and wrecked, bent or snapped in many places due to factors like blasts, explosions, physical damages and more. Everything seemed like a droid 'graveyard'. Ruby certainly hoped the droid she was looking for wasn't among the totalled garbage that the boy was selling.

Jaybo led Ruby to the small building inside the yard, having multiple openings and little protection from any prying eyes of what could go on inside and allowing passers-by to see the messy counter of more junk and some utensils and kitchenware that was left jumbled up to be covered in dirt and cobwebs. Ruby decided to pay no attention to the accommodations; she was here for the droid, plain and simple.

"So, is this where I can find the droid?" she asked the boy.

"Yep!" Jaybo hopped into the house and dug through an open closet where again, junk piled up. He went to work and dug through the messy heap to find her droid, throwing away the stuff in the way while also lifting up some of the heavier thrash.

"You need any help?" offered Ruby, but Jaybo just swung his hand out to her while his head was still deep in the heap.

"No, it's cool." he called from the room. "Just wait there. I'll get the droid out in no time." So, Ruby decided to let him be, leaning herself against a column of the building that help support the metallic roof over her.

She watched on as Jaybo continued to rummage through the junk; eyes on the kid and waiting for the droid to come out. All the while, though, she didn't even bother to look around for any trouble, especially the kind that would sneak up on you and take something from you when you least expect it. And not far away from where she was, something was coming, and it was after her…

"It's gotta be around here, somewhere." Jaybo also seemed to ignore the possibility of being watched as he dug and dug through his thrash for the droid. "That old T3 model's been sitting around for quite long, lately." After getting rid of a few more junk, he was now a few inches into the room, where his voice was slightly echoed. "I tell 'ya. Imagine the little guy's joy when he finds out someone's ready to buy him after a thousand years of isolation from the galaxy. It's going to be such a swell day for him!"

Ruby smiled, imagining the delight the droid would show. Unless of course, it was one of those typical expressionless droids. Either way, she just wanted to get the mission done and come home with a victory.

Little did she know, from the entrance, a lone figure approached, sneaking closely towards her. It made its way for the Jedi and made a quick scan with its electronic red eye, searching Ruby for something it was sent for. It was a little droid, but soon enough, Ruby would have to learn that big things come in small packages.

As she waited some more, she grew a little out of focus from boredom. It has already been a minute since Jaybo started digging into the pile of junk and she was starting to lose her patience. Quite a lot of times she was reminded by her Master to keep her composure and be patient over anything. As he also pointed out to her before she left, the lessons were often forgotten with the energetic Jedi tending to lose focus and fidget or tap her foot from anxiety of doing nothing. She had to move something of her body, or she'd be constricted with stress. That would be a side effect from her incredible ability to use the Force and speed away in a dash. After using it often, it was certain that she'd grown to be a nervous wreck if nothing was happening around her. That was why she was always out for adventure, always jumping in at the slightest moment when on a mission with her Master.

Sometimes, however, it was this excitement that would cost her at any degree of consequence. Especially right now…

 **SNAP!**

"Wha-?!" She felt a strong tug from her back, pulling her back to also feel something snap behind her. When she turned around in a blitz, she saw what was to be another episode of chaos. From behind her, a small humanoid droid stood with its arm extended out all the way at her. In its hand, Ruby scowled at the sight of her precious possession being snatched away from underneath her cape and headed right for the droid.

Her saber scythe.

"Hey!" she screamed out. "That's mine!" The droid grabbed a hold of the folded weapon and let out what sounded like an electronic fit of naughty giggles at her. Ruby's annoyance levels grew high, her teeth gritted with frustration at the mischievous little thief. Then, to her dismay, the droid soon took off and ran for it, taking her weapon with it.

Alarmed, Ruby spun around to tell Jaybo of her plight, but when she saw the closet where he was, she saw nothing and no one. No droid, no Jaybo.

 **PHEWWEET!**

Suddenly, there was a loud whistling sound directed at her from the doorway. Turning to face there, she found Jaybo, leaning against the column of the frame with a smug look on his face.

"See 'ya! Loser!" And soon, he too dashed off at the same direction as the droid thief. Ruby let it all sink down inside of her. She knew it was going to come to this. She was being scammed! Overcome with both exasperation and panic, Ruby was about to mumble with anger for the two-timing rat who took her weapon. But she knew better than that; deep breaths came and slowly calmed herself down to avoid being too caught up with her emotions as told by Kenta so many times before. All that came out in the end was a rough sigh and the rubbing of her forehead for being so distracted.

"That's just great! My first mission and I already lose my weapon!" she groaned before giving chase to get back her weapon before she'd lose it for good.

Her chase led her much deeper into the city, where she could barely see the two tricksters trying to run off into the shadows. She followed them as they crashed into some of the other locals trying to lose Ruby. Jaybo counted on hiding within the darker areas of the city where he could shield himself from her sights.

When Ruby saw them about to run into the alleys, she got to work and prepared to put her skills to the test. She ran right for them, finding a way to outrun and catch them before they'd be gone. She decided to run to the side, somehow away from the two troublemakers and towards some of the buildings at the sides of where Jaybo and his droid were running off to.

As the two made their way through the dark area, they soon halted to see if Ruby was gone from their sights. They looked behind to see that the angry woman was nowhere to be found, not even at the bright lights at the back. Jaybo waited for a good while, waiting for anything to happen. If he was able to lose her, then surely she must have run off to find security like any 'good' woman would do. Surely at this rate, he was probably already long gone to her, successfully stealing whatever it was that his little friend had taken.

He bent down to meet the little droid and carried the weird red box-shaped gadget, inspecting it closely. He could not figure out what it was. Was it some sort of weapon? A blaster? Or was it a big box of valuables, locked tight to keep unwanted hands away. He just didn't know what to make of it. Unfortunately, his investigation would be cut short.

Suddenly, in an instant, the object soon flew up in the air, making Jaybo fall from his feet and landing on the road from the surprise. The red device flew all the way up the roofs while Jaybo recovered from his fall. When he looked up, he could see a most shocking occurrence.

There she was; Ruby Rose. She was all the way at the top, grabbing her rightful weapon from the ground. Jaybo was beyond astonished. The thing flew right from the ground like there was nothing! He didn't see any physical body speeding towards it. There wasn't any application or tool that was used to hoist it up. There could only be one sort of explanation to how Ruby was able to pull her weapon back to her hands.

But Ruby had no time for Jaybo's questions. She immediately made the jump from the roofs and landed on the ground. The force of the drop made her cape fly up and shot out a storm of red rose petals which blew right at Jaybo and his droid with full velocity. After shielding his eyes from the breeze, he laid his eyes in fright at the sight of the older girl who had just jumped down from a building and landing gracefully without harm. Ruby stared down at the boy with a very cross look on her face.

To help out its owner based on its programming, the tiny droid jumped forward to tackle Ruby and give Jaybo time to escape. However, Ruby managed to catch the droid before it could reach her, raising her hand and used the Force to trap the droid in an invisible grasp that stopped it in its tracks.

With her ingenuity on droid circuitry and mechanics, she focused her energy and began to locate the central power core of the droid with her mind. Once she found it, she pushed in some more power to sever the wires connected to the core which then shut it off. The droid fell limp while still afloat in the air by Ruby's unseen grip on it. Jaybo helplessly watched as the Jedi disabled his tool of the trade, beyond baffled by what he saw right in front of him.

After finishing up with the droid, Ruby turned around to get back to the kid who started this little chase. She stared down at the boy while walking towards him, ready to deal with him for even daring to try and steal her beloved Crescent Rose from her, and with a cheap shot too.

"Eep!" As Ruby approached him, Jaybo was stunned by the sheer and sudden power of this magical woman in front of him. He tried to make a run for it, but Ruby quickly caught him by the back of his collar and pulled the boy towards her with a strict face.

"Y-you're one of them, right?" Jaybo stuttered, fearful for what may come to punish him. He tried to put up a straight face at Ruby, but the overwhelming power of the woman before him completely struck him at the heart, leaving him unable to do anything. "You're… a Jedi!" As Ruby had thought about before, Jaybo was one of many people in the galaxy who hadn't seen the real power of a Jedi, only heard through stories. How the stories went for this kid must had been a little farfetched. No matter, he had to be taught a lesson.

"Listen, kid!" Ruby pointed her finger at Jaybo's face, letting him know that she wasn't being as nice as she usually was. "I dunno what games you're trying to pull, but I really have no time for your nonsense!"

"P-please, let me go!" begged Jaybo. Ruby still kept up with her rant at the boy's antics.

"Do I really need to let the authorities know of what you're doing right now?" Then, when she looked up at the city's roofs, her angered face turned into one of pure devilry; a smirk forming at her mouth. "Or should I do something you're not going to like?"

"W-what are you going to do?" Jaybo continued to panic with Ruby's intent on making him pay. Ruby then led the boy out back to the light where they could see the rooftops. She then pointed out to a lone uplink node somewhere above one of the buildings. She had just the thing to deal with low-life thieves like Jaybo, even if he was only about a few years younger than she was.

"How about I hang you up there on that antenna and leave you there where it's going to take a long time for anyone to find you? Sounds good?" The sudden threat by Ruby made Jaybo shiver even more, receiving the humiliating dishonour to be hung from above where many would never find him for a while. Just being up there to be ridiculed in front of everyone, especially the authorities. If Ruby wasn't really going to leave him up there, she'd be sure to send the authorities to find him for his misdeeds.

"Okay! Okay!" He clasped his hands into fists together, begging for Ruby to let him go and be spared both the embarrassment and safe passage from the security's eyes. "I won't steal again! I promise! Please don't leave me up there!"

Ruby was now satisfied with Jaybo's terrified pleads, not because she found the feeling of fear itself quite enjoyable, but rather the fact that she was able to resolve the issue without any trouble. She decided to oblige to his surrender and let him go. Jaybo, begrudged over his failed attempt at scoring one more, lucky break.

"There." Ruby mused. "Was that so hard?"

"Shut up." Jaybo shook his clothes by the shoulders after being roughed up from his capture. Since this was a little scheme of thievery, Ruby had to accept things as they were once again. Her mission was still at a dead end.

"Well, looks like there isn't really much else to do but inform the Council about my findings." She brushed her red-highlighted hair, walking away from Jaybo to go on her way back to the motel. "The longer I stay in this place; the more stuff I lose." Turning away from the thief, she moved off to give it a rest and wait for her ship to be refuelled so she could finally leave the planet and report to the Council of the missing droid.

So much anticipation for her mission was once again destroyed as soon as she knew Jaybo led her to a hoax. She was now left with both failure and a disgruntled mood after having to chase and bring back her saber. She nearly lost a valuable weapon for her role as a Jedi protector. She nearly lost, as any Master would put it, her life.

"Wait!" Suddenly, the same thief she let go called out to her again. Ruby rolled her eyes and spun back around, not willing to hear any more of what this punk had to say. Jaybo's face, this time, looked to be quite regretful, as if he had suddenly repented for his crime.

When he spoke to Ruby, he had once again opened up the case with a strained trust from Ruby.

"That droid. I know where it is." Again, Ruby couldn't afford to even bother about Jaybo. She felt that he was pushing his luck; that his attempt to catch her attention would lead to yet another haphazard robbery as a fall back plan to get more.

"Not this again, kid." She wanted to brush him off and get away from him to deal with her own business. "Look, you really have to get a life. Fooling people twice is really **not** the best idea."

"No, really!" This time, Jaybo was insistent. Or at least, to Ruby, **sounded** insistent. She wasn't sure if to whether give this kid a chance or see him as desperate for a gain. "I know where the droid is! I'm not lying this time!" Ruby had to find time to see if she could either trust him or simply let him be. She was going to do the one thing her old Master would tell her to do.

 _Don't think… Feel…_

So, seeing Jaybo's eager look, she saw a boy who wanted to show her what he saw or knew. Remembering how Jaybo was when he was scheming against her, she then compared that with his expression now. She felt for the emotions of the boy, sensing for his true intentions, no matter how inexperienced her vision was.

Through her senses in the Force, within all of that shabby exterior she could feel a pang of truth in his words. She could feel a bit more honesty in him, feeling the light in his heart. There'd be no way that honesty was fake, because it felt natural, without any ill will or malicious intent. With that in mind, she went ahead and gave him another shot at convincing her of the droid's whereabouts. She crouched down to Jaybo's level and stared him down in the eye.

"Start talking." she muttered. "And if I catch you trying to swindle me again, I'll probably drop you off on top of the cliff instead." Jaybo took no time to tell Ruby about the location of her objective, pointing out to where it was.

"It's with Grondor." he confessed. "He's got the droid you're looking for." His answer was met with very little enthusiasm from Ruby. He had just met the guy earlier and told her that the droid was bought by someone else, meaning that he would have not a single clue about its current location. So why would Jaybo straight up say it was him who still had it?

"But I thought someone before him sold it off." said Ruby.

"And I thought you heard me when I said it. Grondor's a big fat liar." Jaybo reminded her. Yes, Ruby remembered now; he did say Grondor was not one to be trusted. So, it might seem that the vendor was in fact fooling her into thinking he didn't have the droid. Then again, after what Jaybo did, was it really credible to follow through? Coming from a thief himself, it was a little bit hard to swallow.

"How do I know you're not one yourself?" She stared him down again, suspicious of his motives.

"Hey!" Jaybo raised his hand to his side, making a pledge to not make any attempt to trick her again. "A swindler like me never tries the same trick twice." Ruby stood up and turned around, balling her hand into a fist before placing it on her lips while pondering. Now, it was time to think; about what to do with Jaybo's claims of Grondor possessing an old droid that was most likely sold off well before her time here.

After considering the options, Ruby was finally ready to see the light shining on the problem. If there was ever a chance that she might get the droid, the she might as well take it while Jaybo was showing some signs of truth.

"Take me to Grondor." She finally agreed to Jaybo's word, if not with a little suspicion. "And do remember what'll happen if I get robbed again." Her warning came loud and clear and Jaybo knew not to mess with a Jedi, especially twice.

"Promise! Won't do a thing!" With his promise, he prepared to leave with his deactivated droid in hand, leading Ruby to Grondor's store where she would have a little talk with the vendor. It might serve as a lesson for Ruby; one that she might have needed to heed when going out in the bigger galaxy…

Always be on the lookout for cheapskates…

* * *

The two returned to the open docking area where Grondor was selling his goods at his stall, expecting to see some deception-breaking unfold in their eventual meeting with the man. When they arrived, they could see the man in the same mood of glee he showed to Ruby during her previous visit. Upon looking at him, Ruby wouldn't really see him as the type of guy who would keep things from her. However, it had become common etiquette to never take things for granted, especially from people who seemed like they would help you.

Perhaps this was going to be one of those times to fully see a man for who he really was, with the help of a boy who just tried to steal from her. To put it short, she was caught in a situation where she was unsure and felt a bit blind of what was going on around her now. All these lies, thefts and deceit; it was getting through to her like a toxic cloud catching her in chaos.

She was going to set things straight and probably do a bit more investigating on the vendor and see if there were any discriminating evidence on the man trying to dissuade her from getting the droid.

"Hold on." Suddenly, Jaybo stopped her with his hand out. He then led Ruby to behind a wall away from Grondor's sight where he crouched down to whisper to her. Ruby was not sure what Jaybo was doing or coming up with now, but she hoped it was going to help her rather than trouble her. "You wait here."

"Why?" She asked again, sceptical over his sudden request to remain where she was.

"Because like I said, Hondor's a real conniving snake." explained Jaybo. "I'm going to let you know that and show you the truth. Just wait here and listen up." Ruby decided to let him have his shot at talking to Grondor. As far as Ruby knew, the only thing worse than a liar, was another liar. She stayed close to the wall, almost at earshot from where Grondor was, so she could hear the whole conversation between him and Jaybo.

She peeked over to see the boy walking casually towards the stall. Once Jaybo reached within sight of the seller, she could see the gruff face on Grondor's face; a stark contrast to the seemingly nice man she met earlier. He must have possibly had some bad past with the kid. Well, anyone would have a bad day when your stuff is stolen, right? Perhaps Jaybo had caused a bit of trouble for the old man before that probably explained the hostile reaction from the vendor.

"Hey, Grondor!" Regardless, Jaybo greeted the man as if there wasn't any bad blood between them. "Do you mind helping me out with something?" The boy came over and leaned his arm against the counter, annoying Grondor further. Ruby paid close attention to the talk unfolding, anticipating some break in her investigation.

"Ugh. Not you again, Jaybo." Grondor groaned. "I don't have time to deal with kids like you. So why don't you just buzz off?" Ruby could hear the man loud and clear; his voice coming out as coarse, angered and impatient.

"Come on, Grondor." Jaybo tried to make some 'business' with the vendor, hoping to expose him in front of Ruby. "Can't we just make a deal and be on our merry way?" Grondor slapped his forehead, clearly not wanting anything to do with the boy in front of him. His growls were easily heard, giving Ruby some indication that Grondor had something else in mind right now. The man looked like he had other plans to do that probably didn't require anyone else's attention. She even felt a bit of defensive impulses in the man, through her sensing in the Force. It was starting to become clear to Ruby at this point; if there was something Grondor was hiding, then it appeared that his earlier interaction with her may had come as a lucky break for the man. Then again, she did once notice some discomfort in his eyes when she met him. First, she thought it was something in the air or another rough day at work. Now, however, she was starting to suspect something was going on behind the scenes that Grondor didn't want her, or anyone else, to know.

"What do you want?" Ruby continued on listening out for any hint in the talk, hearing the vendor finally conceding to discuss with Jaybo about his fake proposal.

"I was hoping…" Jaybo walked away a little further from the counter, tapping his chin as if to think about what to get from Grondor. He then turned around, looked at the man with a face of intrigue and shot out his demand. "I could trade that T3 droid you're selling for a few power couplers."

This was it. Ruby was about to hear what Grondor would say back to Jaybo. She waited for the man to answer and confirm her suspicions, or debunk yet another one of Jaybo's lies to her. Grondor crossed his arms as if to fight back and send the boy packing, but he was indeed going to give Ruby the answer she wanted to hear.

"Ugh! Forget it, Jaybo!" he exclaimed. "That droid is being sold to the highest bidder. I can't afford to waste it all on a junk seller like you."

There! That was the break! Ruby could not believe what she had just heard. That man… that sick old son of a Kowalkian monkey lizard… lied to her! He had kept the droid a secret from her and coated it with a big old fib. She couldn't contain her disappointment, angered by the deception she had been caught by. And if that wasn't enough, someone else had already made plans to buy the droid from him, clearly showing Grondor's true motives of greed and deception. It was truly a baffling thing to experience for Ruby; having to be told a lie and it worked. She felt like such a fool to be discouraged by the man, causing her to instantly jump out and deal with him with her own barrage of verbal attacks. But she knew better not to spring out and flush out her anger. She had to contain it, calming herself down before she would erupt in rage from his betrayal. She needed to hear more of what Grondor would say, giving her a better, more peaceful idea on how to approach him.

"Oh, so you've found a customer for that droid?" Jaybo casually let the conversation go on, speaking to the man with suave. "Gee, I wonder why anyone would buy such an old model. Must be someone really rich, huh?" Unfortunately, it seemed that Grondor had a very short temper, not willing to go on and be delayed his chance at a glorious escape from this boring old place.

"Listen, kid. I don't have time for your dirty tricks, but no one, and I mean, **no one** , is going to buy that droid, and I can't risk wasting it on anyone else!" the vendor finally let loose a loud rant at Jaybo. He was not going to be distracted by some other deal while he was about to make one that could give him everything he always wanted.

"No one, huh?" Then, from out of nowhere, Grondor was surprised to hear a very cross voice coming from behind him. When he faced that direction, fear was driven into him when he saw the one person he thought he'd never see again. From out of the shadows, Ruby emerged, crossing her own arms with a vexed look on her face as she stared at him. Grondor was in for some trouble now, having no time to see the sneaky little grin Jaybo gave him.

"Oh! Uh… you again!" stuttered a panicked Grondor. "I… uh…" Ruby was not going to let him go this time. She was going to set things straight and get the droid straight from him; no questions asked.

"You just told me that droid was already sold a long time ago." she clarified. "You better start talking, Grondor." Grondor grew even more panicked by Ruby's own frustrated tirade, backing off while the young girl let him have it. "That droid has valuable information the Republic might want to win this war against the Separatists. So, let us discuss the price we can go with." Jaybo's face was not seen, but it appeared that there was some intrigue that developed in him. So that's why this Jedi was all the way out here in Iego. He figured if someone as powerful as a Jedi was here, then it would come to no surprise that something on the planet would have interested her and the Republic for that matter.

Grondor started to feel the wrath of the girl, slowly descending into further anxiety from being in a messy business. He felt like a tight grip was about to crush him, making him desperate to escape and get away with his attempts at scoring big. As Ruby intensified her stance against him, he was about to break down and let himself be vulnerable to whatever she would do to him. It was about to end really badly, with his prize at risk of being let go by someone else other than his expected customer.

No… Not today…

He whipped his hand to his belt and pulled out a firearm, pointing it at Ruby.

"Aah!" The now broken man fired the weapon at Ruby and Jaybo, forcing the two to flee and find cover. The furious flaring shots raged towards them, causing everyone in the area to panic and run for their lives before the crazy vendor could end their lives. Ruby and Jaybo retreated behind a power ventilator, allowing its metallic plating shield them from the blaster fire. When they were out of sight, Grondor stepped outside from his stall and proceeded to shoot the ground in a frantic rush of energy blasts. The shots were fired all over at their sides, clearly in an attempt to make them feel doomed.

"No one's getting that droid!" he yelled at the two in anger. "I'll be getting loads of credits to get out of this forsaken planet!" He fired his weapon again with even more livid force, pressing his trigger repeatedly harder and harder with each shot. Ruby and Jaybo hid well behind while making sure they weren't exposed to the blaster fire. The Jedi could feel the raging emotions running wild from Grondor, sensing his motions. She could sense that the man was moving forward to try and finish them off. With nowhere to run, she had no choice but to act.

When Grondor stopped firing to recharge his weapon, she saw the chance to leap up high in the air, flying above like a red twister of petals darting upwards. In mid-air, she set her sights on Grondor before diving down in another beautiful dash which saw her crashing down on the ground right in front of him. The landing was powerful enough to stun him. He still had his blaster in hand, but he was so shocked by the strange power Ruby fired upon him that he didn't have time to respond.

Using this chance, Ruby then reached for the weapon behind her back and swinging it forward and transforming the packed-up saber into its saber scythe form. She then instinctively slashed the man's blaster, just in time for the silver light blade to ignite and slice the pistol in two. Grondor gasped in terror as everything happened within a blink of an eye; the shining silver blade searing through his blaster and leaving behind two cut pieces with a smouldering ring of molten metal at where the blaster was cut at. The parts soon fell onto the ground, small trails of smoke drifting upwards with its severed circuits jolting from being cut.

The weapon was then pointed at Grondor's face, slightly centimetres from cutting through his nose. The vendor soon fell to the ground, horrified by the sight of the blade being wielded by the woman in front of him. It became apparent that he was coming face to face with someone of legendary status.

Jaybo couldn't help but gasp in awe. The item he nearly stole from a Jedi was her lightsaber! Such a weird design too, for all the stories he heard had told him that the lightsaber was always created as a silver, metallic hilt that was almost two thirds the length of the blade that was fired up. Seeing Ruby's very unusual design left him almost speechless, and he had been holding it the whole time.

"You…" Grondor was also feeling the chills, not from admiration, but from fear. "You're a Jedi!" Sensing the anxiety on his face, Ruby knew that he was not going to be brave enough to try and attack again. Her presence alone was enough to overpower him to submission. Given that she may have had exerted enough force, Ruby decided to deactivated her weapon; the blade being summoned back into the hilt and then transforming the saber back into its folded form.

Ruby crouched down to Grondor's level, now back to her old, mischievous self as she seized the chance to negotiate a deal while the man was still down.

"Alright, pal." she urged. "You've got exactly ten seconds to change your mind, or I'm going to let security know you've been lying to your customers." She rested her arm over her knee, grinning while striking a more empowering pose against the man. "So, let me have the droid so we can all enjoy our day, 'kay?"

"I can't!" shouted Grondor, still defiant about the droid and his business, but being a bit more frightened. "You don't understand! The person who wants the droid. He's someone you don't want to mess with." Ruby was not convinced. Just who could be so reputable enough to not interrupt a good offer for a Republic droid that was centuries old?

"And who might that be?" She began to ask, eager to one up Grondor's claims and claim the droid for herself. But then, that's when things became a lot more hectic than she originally planned.

"Ahhh. Mr. Grondor. I've been expecting you." All of a sudden, Ruby heard a voice from behind her, seeing the face of Grondor somewhat surprised himself. She looked behind to see that the crisis was being joined by someone she didn't want to see at all.

The creepy voice came from a wrinkly Neimodian, dressed in a black fancy robe with dark blue smoothly coming down the fabrics while also wearing a headdress with a flat square resting on top. And what made Ruby especially dismayed was the sight of two armed droids, skeletal in design, heads with the shape of a bird's skull and armed with a blaster she easily recognized from her guide tome of the galaxy's weapons. E-5 blaster rifles, clutched by the droids' three flat fingers coming together like a crustacean's pincer.

Ruby could figure out what was going on by the sight of a neatly-dressed Neimodian guarded by two armed droids. They were most certainly B1 battle droids, and they were protecting someone who she assumed was from the Trade Federation; one of many subgroups who have joined the Confederacy. She was looking at the face of the enemy for the first time in this war. And judging by the importance of the droid to the Republic, it was no surprise that, in the bigger scheme of things, it looked to be very obvious that the Separatists were on the hunt for it as well.

This was going to become a heated confrontation; one that Ruby had to avoid somehow before it all went down south really fast.

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**


	11. Aggressive Negotiations

**A/N~ I feel like the last chapter has been a real eye-opener! There's been some critical feedback regarding the story, Ruby in particular. It seems that what I've done for the character isn't really boding well with them, so I looked them up for consideration.**

 **With feedback given by two reviewers, I have reconsidered making Ruby's saber colour red. Initially, I wanted to make Ruby's lightsaber become red with a bit of light shading to differentiate between hers and the Sith's usual sabers.**

 **However, I tend to think about it a lot, but what if I could make her saber colour silver instead. I suppose, then, Ruby would have enough red with her clothes and saber anyway, so perhaps it'd be best if I make her saber colour silver, because there are some traits that the colour could be reflected on Ruby, and given her own silver eyes, it might also fit in well visually. And since the two reviewers have made the same points, I've decided to change the saber colour at last.**

 **I've already made the changes to previous chapters as well, so hope things are better this way :)**

 **I'm also removing the dialogue system for aliens, droids, holographic messages, etc. It doesn't seem like it serves any purpose other than spoiling readers' eyes over the different font styles, so consider them gone.**

 **Reviews:**

 **g00fy jedi**

 **Hey! Thanks for the review.**

 **Yeah, I had some trouble trying to write how the saber blade is fired from her weapon. To put it simple, the weapon has both a small scythe blade made of metal like the original Crescent Rose, while the lightsaber blade was projected out of the other tip of the weapon. So, essentially, it's a double-bladed weapon. I know, I wasn't sure my explanation of how the weapon looks like would be as simple as I thought. Hopefully I've provided some clarification to your question.**

 **I'm actually going to draw Ruby as a Jedi Knight and upload it on deviantArt soon, so you can check it later to see how I envisioned the blade to be like.**

 **Jack Redhawke**

 **Thank you very much for this review. I'm not going to say much, because I've pretty much covered it above.**

 **Jiggly Joe**

 **I have to agree. You might notice that I ignored using the text styles in one of the chapters, and I was starting to wonder if I even needed to use them. I'll start getting rid of the format after this chapter. Thanks for the feedback!**

 **And for followers and favourites, welcome 10, Leofire312, FearTheFedora, Tsig123, beedrillbot, and MisterOriginality to the story!**

 **So, in short, Ruby's lightsaber blade is now made silver, with all previous chapters updated with the change. And the font system has been thrashed and as of this chapter, I will be updating the previous chapters again soon.**

 **So with all being said and done, let us continue the story!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Aggressive Negotiations**

Cliffhold City,

Iego,

Outer Rim Territories

Finally, after spending so long being trained in the Jedi Temple, Ruby was coming face to face with the enemy for the first time. A diplomat from the Trade Federation protected by a pair of battle droids standing at both sides of the Neimoidian. She had just been in a confrontation with a greedy seller, Grondor, who was just about to sell a very important droid to the Republic and the Jedi to the Neimoidian, fortunately having shut down her weapon before the enemy could see what she really was. She backed off from the grumpy seller, who stood back up and brushed her aside. It has already become a messy situation for the man and it had left him with a terrible start for his upcoming business deal.

The troubling development of the situation was simply turning sour for the Jedi, having the Trade Federation involved in her mission was already raising the bar for her expectations. She knew they were here for what the droid had to offer, making them a liability that could cost the Republic the first stages of the war. The Separatists had already proved to be a threat to her right as the war was about to kick off.

"Might I ask; what is going on here?" asked the Neimoidian, thankfully ignoring the Jedi and focusing his attention to Grondor. "I hope I'm not intruding."

Ruby took a good look at the Neimoidian's wrinkly face, creeped out by the way his red and orange eyes blinked weakly, staring at her like an old hermit looking for some spoils, probably fitting well with what she heard about those who worked in the Trade Federation as money-hungry opportunists. The gruff old man decided not to bother about Ruby or the kid with her, he had his moment to finally earn the big cash grab he so longed for.

"Ah!" He welcomed the Neimodian with open arms, pretending the troubles he had were no more. "You must be Oran Greeta of the Trade Federation!" He then waved his hand to the direction of his stall where he could finally get business done. "Come! Come! I've got the stuff for you!"

"I am here for the T3 droid that you have on sale." announced the Neimoidian, which confirmed Ruby's suspicions of the enemy's presence on the planet. "It is vital that I retrieve it for the Trade Federation." But before he could move on with the deal, he pointed his ugly finger at Grondor, making it known that any intrusions or betrayals in the deal would spell disaster for all around them. "And no questions asked."

"Ah, yes!" Grondor had no reason to argue against Greeta's warning. If he wanted to get the money, he was going to be as hospitable as possible. "Most definitely! Right this way!" And with that out of the way, he led Greeta and the droids to his stall, passing through Ruby with a slight huff to show his disapproval of her meddling.

Ruby didn't know what to do. From the looks of it, the battle droids didn't seem to respond to the little scuffle Grondor just had with her, suggesting that they barely missed any of the fighting that went on. She was probably lucky that she didn't have her lightsaber, having it off before the Neimoidian could even catch a glimpse of the situation. But now, the situation of the droid was getting a lot more difficult than she thought. The Neimoidians of the Trade Federation always had huge sums of credits with them, even in their mere pockets. Buying something as precious as the droid from an equally wealth-obsessed jerk like Grondor would be as simple as a training remote exercise.

Ruby needed to find a way to get that droid, or risk losing valuable information to the Separatists. Then, that was when she felt a nudge to her arm, looking to her right to see Jaybo cupping his hand to his mouth to whisper something to her; a plan to liberate the droid from those greedy hands.

"Go get the droid." he requested.

"Huh?" Ruby was quite clueless over what Jaybo had in mind. Sure, go get the droid and save it, and then, what? What else could she do to acquire what she needed without causing so much as a riot? What could Jaybo do to help her? She needed to know what the plan was. She was only greeted with a hush of Jaybo's mouth that prompted her to proceed without interruptions.

"Just trust me." assured Jaybo. "I'll hold them off. You'll know what to do." Honestly, Jaybo didn't really care what Ruby could do or was capable of; he just wanted her to take the droid however she could while he played the role for distraction; a common junk boy's routine. Jaybo walked forward, leaving Ruby behind to greet the men and stall them.

"Hey, gentlemen!" The boy shouted out to the two older adults, who spun around to see this busybody marching into their business. Yet, Jaybo didn't stop his little scheme, taking the hand of the Neimoidian and shaking it, much to the latter's disgust. "How may I be of service?" Greeta snatched away his filthy hand, rubbing the dirt away from it while cringing at the boy's touch.

"Jaybo… Get out…" warned Grondor with a growl, but Jaybo ignored the sign, continuing to bring himself into their little deal while buying the Jedi time to find her quarry. Ruby definitely saw her chance as Jaybo kept them occupied and she walked around them, making sure she wasn't caught in the conversation. She was going to make her approach and sneak into the stall where she might find her lost droid.

"Jaybo Hood, at your service." Jaybo kept on stalling, ripping apart the patience of both men in front of him.

"I'm sorry, but I really cannot waste my time with such dirty children like you." moaned Greeta with a finger pointing straight at the boy. He then returned his attention to Grondor, clasping his hands together at the level of his thighs and putting up a more tolerant stance towards him. "Mr. Grondor, I understand you still have the T3 model in possession?"

"Yes, yes! Right this way and…" Just as Grondor was about to show Greeta the way, Jaybo came rushing in with his usual bickering again.

"First things first! You, sir, might need a little bit of a bonus for your liking." The boy moved in his usual salesman attitude, trying to convince the Neimoidian to see what he had in store that could entice him more. If he was lucky, then maybe he could discourage him from buying the droid and probably give Ruby a better chance at getting it herself. Chances were very low, of course, but anything had to be done to buy the Jedi time to sneak around and grab the droid.

"No, this is not the time…" Greeta desperately tried to reject the offer and send Jaybo off, but the kid continued to remain persistent, still bargaining with him with all his efforts.

"Oh, but I insist! You're going to like what I have in store for you!"

"Jaybo!" Grondor was about to shut him up, but Jaybo beat him to it, cutting him off while also going to add some insult to his injury.

"Seriously, though, Grondor would sure love some extra mullah for your benefits." Jaybo even rubbed his fingers together to suggest his wealthy prospects. Greeta stared viciously at Grondor for allowing the boy to cut in on their business plans, face still cringing at the constant annoyance of being held back from his intentions.

"Eh heh…" Grondor chuckled nervously, now at a very difficult position for having Jaybo involved. Then, he looked away from the Neimoidian to snarl to himself, cursing at Jaybo for being such a nuisance. "I'm so going to kill this kid soon."

Meanwhile, as the stalling went on, Ruby was already right behind the stall, away from everyone's sights as she went to work looking for the droid somewhere in Grondor's stall. She was feeling relieved that Grondor was too caught up with the Trade Federation official that he didn't bother revealing her identity as a Jedi Knight to him, or she'd have to deal with a few battle droids and the compromising of her mission. She considered herself lucky, for when there were one or two droids around, you could bet that there was a whole army elsewhere waiting to be unleashed upon you. All she had to do now was remain out of sight and hope Jaybo could hold out long enough for her to find the T3 droid.

She crouched down to the level of the counter, close enough to avoid detection. The two men, and the battle droids for that matter, were all facing Jaybo who positioned himself nicely so the men were standing between the stall and himself. With all attention unintentionally diverted to Jaybo, she could now safely creep into the stall and search for her prize.

Ruby snuck up into the entranceway behind the stall, moving ever so slowly and carefully. Once she was safely inside the stall, she got to work to find the droid. Amidst the piles of trash, parts and junk, she looked all over the place while doing her best not to make a single noise. She couldn't afford to pick up anything to dig through, so she had to rely on her eyes alone. It had to be kept somewhere where Grondor could get it out easily; somewhere open and spacious enough to move it out.

Finally, after scanning the place for all signs of the droid, she saw something underneath the countertop, tucked right inside where no one could see it from the outside. At last, after tedious hours of searching throughout the city, there she found the droid she was looking for.

The astromech droid with its body bent forward as opposed to the newer models being bent back, had its two side legs stuck out front, also in contrast to the modern astromech. Its flatter head built with a wide bump on top featured two ear-like headlights on both ends. As Ruby came closer to it, its head spun upon hearing her; its single camera eye zooming in to see the Jedi creeping up to it.

"Hey!" Ruby whispered loudly to it. "Come here." As Ruby was about to reach her hand out to it, she began to see the droid shiver and tilting back in fear, seemingly frightened by her sudden appearance. It retreated back into the shelter of the countertop, pushing itself back to whatever little space it had. Audible high-pitched beeps were heard in rapid succession, following along the beat of the droid's trembling body, confirming Ruby's concerns that it was being timid with her around.

She took a good look at the droid, noticing the dents and scratch marks all around it, suggesting an abuse to its body. She gasped silently upon seeing these marks, also feeling riled up that it could have been Grondor who violated its old plating. The marks sustained were almost like wounds to the droid; scars and stains that would remind it of the turmoil it had suffered from throughout its lifetime since being abandoned from the tragic death of its old companion.

Upon seeing Ruby, it didn't seem to trust the girl in any way, cowering back unsure of what she would do to it. The Jedi felt extremely sorry for the droid after being left alone all this time and to be sold to a repulsive individual to be taken apart and having its contents extracted by the Separatists. It was to be a cruel fate for this poor worn out droid.

"No, no! It's okay." Ruby tried to assure the droid that she was willing to help it. "I'm not going to hurt you." She looked up, not seeing Grondor behind the wall, but could pretty much tell where that stinking no good rascal's hide was. "Neither will that guy." She soon attempted to call upon the droid, waving to it to come over. "Come on!" Unfortunately, the droid refused to move, still paranoid over trusting this human. Ruby was now running out of options. She couldn't go over there and pull the droid with her bare hands for she might scare the droid into making a lot of noise.

"Oh boy…" Ruby shook her head, thinking of the one solution she did not want to do to this poor droid. She had no other choice; it was either safely extract it out of there or risk being exposed to the enemy. "I'm sorry to do this." She closed her eyes and focused her power on the droid's inner parts, using the same technique she pulled off on Jaybo's droid not too long ago. She reached out to find the core of the droid before shutting it off with her mind. The droid's frantic condition was soon lost as it began to shut down from Ruby's telekinetic powers. She carefully cut down a pluggable wire where it fed power to the droid where she could later reinsert it in to revive it.

Once the droid was finally put off, she could finally proceed to move it out of the stall before anyone would notice. With its systems offline, Ruby went over to push the droid slowly away without having to make it panic under the pressure. She pulled the droid in towards her before pushing it along the way to safety. It was difficult already having to push it while it was deactivated, its legs now heavier without the droid online to lift its weight up upon moving. She could only hope that Jaybo had the situation under control.

Now, it was where things were about to get tougher. Ruby was now about to head out to the open, pushing out a deactivated droid on the way Jaybo's yard where she could reactivate it. She might not even have to worry about the Trade Federation any time soon, because once they find out that Grondor didn't have the droid, then they might just leave the planet thinking that he was attempting a scam. That is; she hoped they would leave him Given that Grondor didn't sell her out, but maybe Jaybo could provide some support in convincing them to definitely head off from the planet.

Right now, she had to focus on getting the droid out of the stall, just as long as the Neimoidian did not know of its presence. She had to be extremely vigilant of her tracks, not to make any sudden noises that might get their attention. Like driving a speeder, she steadied herself as she turned the droid out from the counter, trying hard to not bump into anything. Steady as she went…

Steady…

Steady…

A little bit closer…

 **KLUNK!**

Snap…

"Huh?" A single bumping sound had everyone snapping their heads towards where it came from. All eyes were now on the stall, where at the entrance, Ruby was seen, with the droid stuck at everyone's minds right in front of them… being stolen! Ruby had that short time to respond to the situation, but all she did was do a silly nervous wave to everyone, like she was caught stealing from a bank. Even Jaybo had to slap his forehead from the stupid response.

However, the main problem was that Ruby was now caught red-handed, and the Trade Federation was right there watching her.

"Hey!" Grondor yelled angrily, stomping his feet at the Jedi for trying one too hard on him.

"That's the droid!" The Neimoidian pointed out with his crooked finger, ordering his droids to pursue the target. "Get her!"

"Roger roger!" The two battle droids sounded off with their high-pitched electronic voices, acknowledging the command. They ran in clunky fashion, blasters armed and ready to shoot if Ruby did anything she would not want to do. However, Ruby saw not much opposition from these two. All she did was stand up and give her hand a push, sending a shockwave that sent the droids flying towards Grondor and Greeta. With dumb luck, Grondor was soon smashed down by the two battle droids flung by Ruby's Force push.

Greeta watched in pure astonishment, seeing how that girl was able to knock back his guards with only the push of her palm, and not even in direct contact with their bodies. There was only one person in the galaxy that had that kind of power, and it terrified the Neimoidian to his frill bones.

"A Jedi?" he gasped. When Ruby decided it was time to go, she had to pick up the pace and push as hard as she could to escape. "Stop!" Greeta yelled, to no avail, watching the Jedi escape with his prize.

"Time to run!" Jaybo also saw this chance to flee himself, running away to join Ruby into the deep streets where they could hide in his place again to wait out the Trade Federation's welcome. However, as it so happened, the trouble was just getting started. As Ruby still pushed the droid away, Greeta had a few more backup where that came from. At his command, he looked to his right where a squad of battle droids marched into the scene, possibly waiting close by in case the deal went awry. Now, they came in with fourteen blasters at the ready, prepared to fire on the commander's signal.

"Stop the Jedi!" With his finger pointing rudely at the Jedi, the Neimoidian gave the command to fire upon the Jedi.

"Roger roger!" The foremost droid at the front, painted yellow at its chest and shoulders, nodded robotically, leading the charge as the other droids simultaneously followed behind it. Ruby saw the formation about ready to fire at her. She stressed her concerns out almost instantly. She needed the droid to stay safe, undamaged, at least less so than it was now.

"Jaybo!" She called for the boy. "Help me push the droid back home."

"What?! And get me killed?" protested Jaybo, not liking the idea of being shot himself.

"I'm not asking!" shouted Ruby. "Just go! I'll cover you!"

"Fine!" Finally, Jaybo conceded, putting himself at risk while being the one to heave the droid back to his humble abode. Meanwhile, to protect both the droid and Jaybo, Ruby stood her ground, standing right between them and the battle droids. She reached her hand to her back and grabbed hold of her saber scythe, converting the weapon into its attack form and igniting the blade again. The silver glow lit the scene, providing a bright, beautiful aura that hid a deadly force inside the brightened blade. She swung the weapon around, getting into her battle stance and prepared to defend the droid and Jaybo at all costs. Once she was toned in, she was ready to face the battle droids head on, remembering the lessons her master had taught her during her times as a Padawan learner. Even if she had not faced battle droids in swarms like this, she was going to give it all she had to defend the innocent behind her.

The droids soon unleashed their barrage of laser fire, firing away altogether in an inescapable storm of projectiles that rained all over Ruby like heavy rain. Acid rain for the matter; any single shot that hit her would definitely be her last. As the lasers blazed through her, Ruby spun her saber, revolving her weapon around like a fan on overdrive. Each spin precisely deflected bolt after bolt, shooting them back and around the droids. Most of the shots had only hit other inanimate objects or obstructions, while some had managed to be direct hits on the droids, blasting right through their durable armour.

She kept up the momentum, doing her best to stay focused and allow herself to feel the Force as it 'warned' her of each and every projectile that came her way, allowing her body to react at the right position at the right time, at least as hard as she could. Ruby had several close calls when blaster fire had nearly scored hits on her, only to end up searing right through her clothing or knocked her saber right from out of her hands. Those were the clumsy, learning days; this was different. She was now more adaptable with her combat style. Years of training had got her to this moment, to face a threat larger than what she had seen before.

And it all started on this day at Iego…

Ruby kept up the momentum, blocking off the laser shots as much as she could while buying time for Jaybo to push the droid away. She had no time to look back to see how far they had gone. There was too much firepower all around her, and one slip-up could get the two unarmed beings damaged… or worse…

Her staff swung back and forth, and then spun around like a turbine. The laser blade deflected the shots all around and back at the droids, while the scythe attachment at the other end, made from powerful laser-resistant duralium, dissipated them into nothing. To make the weapon work, however, it had to rely on the skills of swordsmanship and concentration on the Force by the person holding it.

From time after time, Ruby had demonstrated her prowess in the art of her unusual saber design; where most Jedi would develop a shorter, simpler hilt, she went the extra mile and constructed her saber in the most extraordinary way possible, with a design she found just right for her. A design she had managed to succeed in mastering, despite the concerns of the wild, unorthodox crafting being too out of order for the standard Jedi methods, further encouraged by a bit of free will by another Jedi Master close to her. Rogue and adventurous, Ruby's Crescent Rose was the culmination of her personality, willing to take risks and make the impossible possible, all to help the galaxy restore peace and freedom.

While she was able to stand her ground for most of the time, she was still feeling stressed by the rapid fire pushed against her. As much as she wanted to fight on, she had to fall back to conserve energy and keep her concentration at check. At the same time, she might have to rush in and regroup with Jaybo and the droid without having the battle droids follow them all the way. She had to find a way to create a diversion and escape while the enemy was left behind to reel from the distraction.

She looked around and found her distraction. Above her at both sides, there was a pile of more junk hanging overhead in a large net. Fuselage canisters, hydro spanners, small engine components and more, all weighing down the net, just enough to cause some damage should the net snap. Ruby then quickly jumped out of the way, letting the blasters fire away while breaking free of the barrage. In the air, she gave her saber a strong swing and tossed it towards the net. The weapon spun forward and cut open the thin strings that held the net together, letting free the huge amount of junk to fall to the ground and crash heavily in front of the battle droids. The droids halted, stopped by a culminated pile of thrash blocking their way.

As much as she wanted to have crushed the droids down, Ruby thought the obstruction would have to do for now. She had to run off and find the droid, hide it with Jaybo and wait until the right moment to break out and escape. She fled the scene, dashing off in her spiral of petals and off to re-join the objective of her mission, leaving behind a group of battle droids unable to proceed further.

A disgruntled Greeta watched on as his grand prize and the Jedi escape, losing a great opportunity to get what his superiors wanted. The very source of information that was needed to help Viceroy Gunray gain the upper hand against the Republic, gone in a blink of an eye. The thought of failure angered the Neimoidian, driving his anger at the stall man who had failed to do anything to help. He looked down at the pitiful sight of Grondor trying to free himself from the couple of droids that Ruby so deliberately pushed at him, finally getting the deactivated bodies away from him. Just as soon as he was about to get up, Greeta did the job for him, pulling the man to his level by grabbing him at the collar. He stared at the moronic seller right in the eye, tightening his grip at his collar as if wanting to choke the life out of him.

"I can explain!" The panicked man cried out, scared over the retribution Greeta was going to give him. The Neimoidian snarled in anger, fuelled by the humiliation from failing to succeed; a common trait among Neimoidians from the moment they were bred.

"You are lucky you are in the dark of this as well, Mr. Grondor. Or I would have had my droids execute you!" The stern warning was an overwhelming scare fest for the man, terrified by the fact that his customer had an army of battle droids with him that could wreak havoc at any time. As Greeta let go of him, Grondor made the run for it, hoping to never do business again if it ever concerns the war.

The Neimoidian official turned to his droid soldiers, speaking to the commander among the group to start getting things ready to search and destroy.

"Find that droid! Bring me the Jedi!" ordered Greeta.

"Roger roger!" The droid commander saluted, then turning around to send its orders to the rest of its soldiers while Greeta returned to his ship to think through with what he would have to do next. He was not going to leave the system until that droid was found. He was not going to leave until that Jedi is found, scoring the first blow against the seemingly powerful Order of theirs.

* * *

An hour has passed since Ruby had fled from her first chaotic encounter with the Separatist Alliance. She was now hidden from prying eyes, thankful that everyone in the scene earlier had fled before anyone knew who she was. While the battle droids were out looking for her and the droid, she hid in an old basement underneath Jaybo's house; a dusty old room left with unused or discarded junk, with only a tiny slit-shaped window at the ceiling to view the outside.

Jaybo was outside, watching over the area for any trouble the Trade Federation would bring them. He wasn't sure what he was thinking about getting involved in this mess, but he had to get out of it somehow, and as much as he had to blame Ruby for trapping him in the chaos, she was also his only chance of getting out of it, whether he liked it or not. Might as well just join in the 'fun' while it lasted.

"So far, so good." He peeked out from behind the wall, looking from left to right at the alleyway to find none of those battle droids lurking around. "Glad I made that little hiding place after all. If we're lucky, those droids will be out of here in no time."

Meanwhile, Ruby was staying closely inside, watching out for the little droid she had rescued from being bought by those greedy Separatists. She tended to the deactivated droid, this time, working on the electronics with her hands to rewire the connections towards the power core. Back then, she made sure that the droid was properly disconnected without snapping the wire, which she also felt sort of regretful for not doing the same to Jaybo's droid.

She then finished with the wires, inserting the last jacks into the central core before finally readjusting the rest of the circuitry and shutting in the panels. She pressed the button located at the droid's head, bringing it back online. The droid's optical 'eye' lit up in its bright blue light, stirring back to life.

When it finally regained its vision, it saw the face of the girl who saved it. The girl… it feared.

The droid retreated back again, still frightened by Ruby's presence. It then rolled off behind a stack of pallets where it hid from her, leaving the Jedi to feel for the droid's traumatized state. After being left alone for so long, without a master for it to follow or to care for, she thought the droid was suffering from some long term of depression, leading to a sense of fear from being abused by that heartless seller. Even if everyone else thought droids were just mindless machines, meant to serve without question, there was always those times where she would see a droid or two somehow express themselves. She saw it in Skywalker's droid more often than not, and now she could see it in the droid.

Ruby had to do something to show the droid that she cared. She wanted to help it, become someone who could help it when no one else had.

"Come on, little guy." She crouched down, showing her gentle smile. "You're safe now." Still, the droid shivered, hiding deeper behind the pallets. Ruby rubbed the back of her head, being a bit unsure of how to make the droid come to her. Perhaps, she needed to be a little closer to the droid. She knew she was going to scare it even more, but there was probably a way to assure it that she was a friend.

She remembered the day she had a mission with Master Kenta on Anaxes. She once met a little girl who was always told that the Jedi were dangerous, feared throughout the galaxy for their sorcery and magical powers. She would then watch as Kenta walk over to her and bent down, offering her a kind gift; a small flower that was almost wilting. Through his power, he brought the plant back to life, assuring the girl that he was a friend who wanted to help the people of the community they were in.

Right now, there were no other tricks to assure the droid, but the message was all the same; approach someone who was scared and reach down to their level, literally. Make gentle eye contact and offer something to make them feel better. And that was what she was going to do.

Ruby walked over to the droid, slowly making it sink deeper in fear. She then tried her approach, stopping just in front of the droid and kneeling down to its level, putting up her gracious smile.

"Hey, little guy." she called out to the droid, reaching out to touch it, only for it to go back more. The sad bleeping of the droid only showed more of its anxiety to Ruby. She raised her palm, slowly reassuring the droid that she wasn't going to be a threat.

"Hey, it's okay." she calmly said. "I'm not going to hurt you." The droid turned its head from side to side, still reluctant to accept the human's kind gesture. Ruby slowly let her hand go closer to the droid, causing it to tremble a little bit more. Then, she stopped her hand while it looked away, waiting for it to look back. If the droid could turn its head back, then maybe it could finally see that Ruby wasn't a bad person at all.

Then, after a few seconds of waiting, it turned, facing Ruby, albeit slowly. It stared at Ruby right in the face, watching timidly to see a face of pure light and kindness. A sweet smile crept on her face, giving out a very cheerful feeling which proved to be contagious, even to the droid. This innocent looking face made it look into its programming and recollect visual records of the same expression its master once always gave it. Somewhere, on that girl, the same hopeful and bright spirit was there, a charm that made the droid feel its circuitry becoming smooth and functional again. In Ruby's terms, the droid might just be willing to open up just a little bit.

Then, she noticed the movement. The droid began to drag itself forward, shaking from nervousness, but nevertheless, still moving towards Ruby. It was a good start, but the Jedi remained motionless. She was not going to do anything until the droid had come close enough to where her hand stopped at. Surely enough, it moved on, closer and closer until eventually, it reached to the point where Ruby had her out, finally allowing her to touch it.

Ruby gently stroked the droid, making it feel the gentle touch of her clean and soft hand brushing against its metallic dome. For a while, the Jedi allowed herself to keep stroking the droid's head until it could finally feel better again about coming face to face with someone it could trust. She felt thrilled that the droid was starting to tolerate her, letting herself feel more comfortable by having the other hand rub against the rusty exterior.

But that was when she felt something off. Those dents on its body, truly deep and bumpy, probably deep enough to squeeze into the circuits, causing the machine equivalent of an aching body. She could also feel the dirt and dust that was left behind after being uncleaned for a long time. She wondered why Grondor never even bothered to check on its condition if he wanted to sell it to such an important person, let alone caring to repair it from the damages he did.

"Gee, you've been in bad shape for some time, huh?" Ruby sighed, saddened by the amount of battering and rusting it had endured. The droid tilted its head down, acknowledging the sad life it had to go through. Ruby didn't want to see it feeling the pain it had suffered for centuries and decided to fix things up.

"Here." She took the end of her cape and proceeded to wipe the droid of the filth. "Let me clean you up." The droid began to shake again, but Ruby held it in place, making sure she'd get the dirty marks off its body. She took the dare and kept on cleaning the droid with compassion, not forcing the droid by holding it too tight.

Once she was done, she let go of the droid, freeing it from the slightly frightening grip. For Ruby to relinquish her sudden hold, it seemed to have detected something unique within her nerves. Soothing and calm, righteous and just, the Jedi had expressed something that it had never felt ever since… its old master.

"Hmmm…" Ruby grabbed her chin and stared at the droid. Feeling the droid again, she felt a bit cold, for a droid with its circuits operating well. She may have needed to find the right thing to make it feel warm and so she went up quietly to find Jaybo. When she exited the basement, she peeked out to see Jaybo still on the watch. She then snuck out and met up with the boy to ask for her needs.

"Jaybo, do you have a PLUX-grade thermal generator around here? Astromech class?" The question sort of spooked Jaybo into nearly dropping his energy slingshot onto the floor, barely catching it after stumbling. The boy glared at Ruby for giving him such a fright, causing her to smile sheepishly. Though, he decided to let it slide and went out to find the component Ruby asked for, running to his old pile of junk. After rummaging through his stuff, he pulled out a small object built like a lantern. A cylindrical glass tube was placed into a coiled frame and a electrical socket was seen at the bottom.

"Here!" Jaybo handed the piece of equipment to Ruby, but as she closed in to grab it, he pulled it back, twiddling his finger while pulling off a sly grin. "But it's going cost you fifteen Republic credits."

A low growling noise was heard from an irritated Ruby Rose. She had to see it coming from a street boy like Jaybo, but all that mattered was the droid and perhaps she could spend a few credits to give it that generator. She forked up a few chips from her pocket, at least glad that the boy accepted Republic credits for the device.

"I suppose you deserve something for helping me out there." She dropped the credits into his left hand before taking the generator from the satisfied young lad.

"Enjoy!" Jaybo saluted off before returning to watch duty, while Ruby returned to the safety of the basement to give the droid some warmth for its systems to function properly. These Old Republic models ran on somewhat obsolete tech, including an external thermal generator that would regulate between temperatures depending on the climate of the planet where the droid would be. It was a very antiquated process that modern astromechs did not need to go through anymore, with a more advanced power core that would adjust the temperature for them.

She was thankful that Jaybo had one buried deep in his treasured trash and she hoped that it would still work. She came back down the dark corner where she could see, to her surprise, the droid actually coming out of its hiding spot. When she stepped in, it moved back in, of course, but to see the droid coming out just for a little while seemed to give her the notion that it was trying to open up to the Jedi more.

Ruby walked to the droid and prepared to open up its panels. It fidgeted a little, but Ruby was able to open up the panel and inserted the generator into the T3 unit. Closing it shut, the droid felt the warm feeling finally coming back to it, heating up the shivering cold that it was forced to live with for centuries. While it warmed up, the only coldness it couldn't get rid of came from the loneliness it had endured. Without that someone to follow and serve, its purpose was lost and incomplete. There was only the girl who saved it who seemed to care about it.

"There." She rubbed the panel after closing it, patting the droid. "Feeling better?" The droid beeped out its concern, wondering if Ruby was really doing that much to help it.

"Oh, you don't have to worry." assured Ruby. "I'm more than willing to help a droid in need."

Then, the droid then bent down, feeling quiet all of a sudden. The way Ruby helped it like it was some other living being, showing the kindness she had for those she interacted with, even the mechanical kind. It was the same type of affection she happened to share with another certain being in its past. Someone who saw it as something more than a tool. Someone it dearly missed.

"You miss your master, huh?" Ruby asked, noticing the droid's quiet expression. She imagined what it was like to be away from someone you befriended for a very long time. She couldn't really imagine being away from her old Master for even a month or so, despite being told not to become too attached to someone, as well as the fact that she was now a Knight and had to go on her own more often. For this droid, however, it had to be alone for hundreds of years. No one could ever apprehend being left abandoned that long, and to hear this droid be just that was really heart-breaking.

The low whirring sound of its 'voice' made it plenty obvious to Ruby of its plight. She thought the droid was rather the right choice for anyone to partner with, so it too must had enjoyed the company of that someone else. She reached out her hand to rub it on him again, wanting to make him feel better.

"Hey, don't give up hope." she said to him with a cheerful smile, determined to help it find its meaning again. "I'm going to get you out of here and when we get back to the Jedi Temple, I'm going to make sure you find a new rightful master to take you in." The droid perked its head up after hearing what Ruby proposed, surprised that the Jedi would do such a thing for it.

The droid beeped with sudden shock, touched by the Jedi's word that she'd help it find its way again. Ruby giggled at the little guy's curiosity, somewhat tickled by how the cute little beeps sounded.

"I promise." She gave it one more warm smile before standing back up. There were no more signs of fear or backing off from the droid this time which made Ruby very happy that she was making some progress in gaining its trust. "It's what we do."

For a while, the droid stared at the Jedi with query, so much programming running through its head to clean up what had just been said to it. Its audio receptors may have not heard her right, but it looked like someone could actually find some purpose for it after all. After so many years, it could finally become complete again, free from misuse and loneliness. There was finally hope for the droid again.

"Hey, Ruby!" A loud call from Jaybo outside the basement door caught Ruby's attention. The droid was also almost about to run back after hearing the lesser known voice. "You might want to see this!" Ruby could hear it in his voice. She could sense the panic from his words, suggesting a very bad situation happening at the surface. Wondering if the Trade Federation had done something wrong, she decided to head up and see what Jaybo did.

She emerged from the basement again and saw that the boy was on top of the roof, where he faced the direction of the landing pad housing her shuttle. She jumped up and took up a spot next to Jaybo, giving herself a good look at the scenario that was unfolding there.

"Oh no…" From up on the roof, she could see the landing zone being filled with battle droids marching here and there, patrolling the open docking platforms obviously looking for the droid and her. The terrible deeds of Separatist etiquettes were revealed when they also began rounding up civilians, herding them up to be questioned or perhaps hinting at a more devious scheme for the city. What made it even more horrifying was how the droids began to round them up at gunpoint, aiming their blasters at the innocent people they captured, making them all submit by force.

Ruby couldn't help but wonder if all of this was because of her. If she hadn't messed up and got herself exposed, then the Trade Federation wouldn't even be aware of the presence of a Jedi getting involved in their business. A single slipup had cost the people of Cliffhold City, and possibly the whole planet their freedom. The burden of being responsible of the planet's isolation from the violence that was about to engulf the galaxy was now crushing her with the utmost guilt. She had allowed the enemy to grip Iego with brute force.

Then, she saw another group of battle droids, conversing at a nearby shop just a few blocks away from Jaybo's place. They were well within range of Ruby's hearing, speaking with their usual high-pitched voices.

"Secure the area. Find the droid. If you see the Jedi, shoot to kill." ordered the superior commander in front of the five normal soldier units.

"Roger roger." All of the droids complied, continuing to sweep through the streets in search for their targets. The patrols went about the premises, house by house, stall by stall and one passageway after another. The tight security seemed to have made escape much harder than it needed to be.

"Man, those rust buckets really want your droid." quipped Jaybo, though stating the obvious was not helping much.

"How the heck are we going to get back to my ship at this rate?" Ruby urged to shout, but the presence of droids near her forced her to remain silent, speaking with whispers instead. But then, all of a sudden, things would get a whole lot worse.

 **BBOOMMM!**

From the distance, she could see, to her shock, her own shuttle being blown to pieces in an instant. Her one chance of getting out of the planet alive had been taken away, just like that?

The poor pilot…

"Never mind. What am I going to do now?!" she groaned, as if cursing at luck itself for jinxing her at such a terrible time. Without a ship to escape in and with battle droids securing the perimeter, she was now virtually stranded, locked in a prison of enemies everywhere. She had faced challenges like this before, but none of them had ever reached the scale of this, where she had to face troops of soldiers instead of rambunctious street gangs, crooked pirates or even hungry beasts. This was a whole new level of difficulty and strife even a Jedi at her stage wouldn't comprehend. Fortunately, she had someone who could actually help her through her new problems.

"I know a ship that can get you out of here." suggested Jaybo, catching Ruby's attention really quickly. "Grondor has a small ship underneath his hovel, in a secret hangar bay he uses." Ruby thought the poor guy deserved enough already, which made Ruby feel a little guilty about ruining the seller's day. Then again, looking back at the poor condition the droid had suffered, her reluctance turned to justified mischief.

"How do you know he has a hangar underneath?" asked Ruby.

"Hey. I've been stealing off the guy for years. You tend to find a lot of secrets from your victims." Jaybo answered with suave, seeing Grondor as nothing more than bantha fodder for his grand schemes. Regardless of how malicious it may have sounded, Ruby had no other choice. She had to leave the planet and get the T3 droid out of the planet as fast as she could. Any ship had to do, and since Grondor's was in a secret bay, she might be able to slip past and fly away before anyone would notice.

"Okay." she agreed. "So, the question is; how do I get there?"

"Pfft." Jaybo didn't really think doing the job was that hard, especially since it was Grondor. And it was definitely better when it could be done by someone like Ruby with her powers. "That's easy. Use your Jedi powers and all that stuff."

Unbeknownst to Jaybo, Ruby didn't like the idea too much. Her eyes widened and her heart raced from anxiety after hearing the shrewd suggestion from Jaybo. After what she had been through just an hour ago, she wasn't so sure facing those droids again was a good idea, let alone having to face double the amount than she previously faced earlier. There were already swarming throughout the city and she wasn't so sure if she could handle them all. Such was the uncertainty of a Knight given her sudden rise from Padawan.

"But I can't just go swinging my saber around!" Ruby exclaimed her doubts, giddy that she had to face all of those droids by herself. "I've… never faced an army of battle droids before."

"What?!" It was now Jaybo's turn to be stunned. How could a Jedi as cool and skilful as she was, not be ready for taking on a bunch of walking tin cans?! He didn't know if he was overestimating the Jedi or if he was just plain ignorant about how they work. "I always thought Jedi were powerful warriors!"

"Well, not **all** of them…" Ruby tapped her fingers into each other, blushing from embarrassment with a flustered face. Jaybo slapped his own forehead, unbelievably baffled by the revealation of a Jedi's lack of confidence. After all the tales he's heard from wayward travellers, it appeared everything was all but a fable from old folklore or untrue rumours. At least she was a Jedi anyway, and she did have the moves, knowing that she wasn't entirely hopeless.

"I don't think it really matters now." uttered Jaybo. "You've got to fight them somehow. Those droids have the whole place surrounded and the only way out for you is to use that big saber of yours."

Ruby looked behind, picturing Crescent Rose in her mind. This was the one weapon that didn't just saved her life more than once; it **was** her life. She crafted it in her own prowess and clearly showed what it could do in countless escapades. And the way she handled those droids back then reminded her of what she could do. This may had been a big army of droids out to get her, but she handled them all with focus and skill, resulting to her little distraction plan when she felt that she couldn't take the pressure.

In the end, Ruby thought to herself; if she could handle those droids then, then why should now be any different? It turned out that, after all, she was able to take on the battle droids of the Separatist Alliance. Her first step into the larger world of war.

"And I can't speed my way through either…" There was no point running either. She had a droid to escort and bring back to the Temple, so how could she ever use her speed to avoid the enemy with it hauling behind her? Considering her options, Ruby had no other choice. She was going to face those droids like any Jedi would do at situations like this and rely on her abilities and saber skills to break through and escape the enemy.

"You're right." sighed Ruby, properly adjusting her cloak, accepting that she had to get stronger at the face of the enemy. "I think it's time I face the music somehow." She jumped down back to ground level to get the droid ready to roll out and follow her back home.

"You do that." Jaybo insisted, not willing to get himself involved with the chaos. "I'll just stay here." Ruby found his ignorance to the matters to be quite annoying, watching him shrug his shoulders before walking so casually back home.

"Fine." She eventually agreed to leave him be. Jaybo had done enough help for one day, and he certainly had enough trouble from getting involved with Ruby's own affairs. Leaving the boy, she headed for the basement to get the droid. The astromech was well out of its hiding place, which delighted Ruby into thinking it had stopped worrying about the outside world.

"Come on, buddy." declared the Jedi. "We're going to get you out of this mess." Unfortunately, the droid didn't like the idea so much, retreating back into its hiding place. Ruby came over and bent down to assure it that she had its back all the way.

"I know you're scared." said Ruby. "But I need you to trust me." To exemplify her resolve, she moved forward and touched the droid again, letting her determination seep through. "I promise. I'll get you out of here and we can all safely return home. Just stay behind me and we'll be free."

The droid fell silent. First, Ruby had given it the care and will its master once did and now, she promised to protect it with her life. The human proved to be one special being in the eye of the droid. After being left alone in isolation, however, not even the touching heart of a Jedi Knight could shake its fears away entirely. But, mustering up some courage, the droid moved forward, ready to follow Ruby and hopefully avoid whatever perilous mayhem it might end up in. It would have to trust her, no matter what would happen.

And so, following the Jedi behind, the T3 droid trailed along. Ruby smiled when she saw it giving her the chance to trust her. Soon, the two new friends ran out to face the big troubles ahead.

* * *

The docking bay was surrounded with droids all over the place, patrolling the streets and open landing zones for signs of the Jedi.

Eventually, a small shuttle arrived, landing on one of the platforms with four mechanical legs coming out from under the ship that resembled those of an insect's. From the boarding ramp, a new set of battle droids marched out in their usual square formation to join the rest of the other druids scattered around rounding up civilians around the area, interrogating them at gunpoint asking them the location or the whereabouts of a T3 droid and a Jedi around the city. When no one came to answer, they were simply herded back into the clumps of hostages being sat down across the platform, waiting for the Jedi to arrive.

Surely enough, that Jedi was carefully watching from the rooftops looking at the unfair treatment given to these innocent people. They all didn't deserve this; being huddled up like shaak in a farm and about to face certain doom if they refuse to cooperate. She asked for no one other than Jaybo for help and yet they were being suspects in her apparent 'crimes'. She felt sick at looking at this hardship unfold, and all done by the enemy she was told to face.

This could be the motivation for her to take on the entire force of droids and prove herself capable of being worthy of the Jedi Order. Alas, the overwhelming numbers still pulled her down. This was still an army she had to try and flee from, so all the droids scattered across the area might have posed a really terrifying threat.

She was going to have to do her absolute best to deal with them while she escorted the droid to Grondor's house. There was going to be blaster fire all over the place, probably a lot more than her previous encounter. So, she would have to rely on other means to avoid being hit, which meant tons of cover and her own speeding powers to zip right through them. With the droid in mind, she had to stay close and watched it every step of the way.

With its fearful behaviour, it was going to be a real challenge, but then again, when was Ruby Rose ever unwilling to take a challenge, no matter how difficult it got? She crouched down to meet the droid, seeing that it shaking with fear over the growing number of armed droids. She went to comfort it again and told it to stick by her side.

"Just stay close. I'm going to take the heat as much as I can while you run to the nearest cover and into Grondor's house." At the mention of Grondor, the droid almost shrieked. It was clear the abusive memories of its time in that hovel of torture were horrid. Ruby would have to enter the house with it and stay close to help it overcome its fears. "Remember, stay close. I'll take care of you. I promise."

Ruby stood back up, facing the droids that would eventually open fire upon her. With her own worries brushed aside, she was about to step out and finally enter a world of violence and heroics. Crescent Rose in hand, she walked on, leaving the T3 droid to watch her brave the odds.

When she finally revealed herself to the open to one of the droids, she transformed her weapon and ignited her blade. The booming blazing noise of the saber alerted the droids and the captured civilians to the presence of an all-powerful Jedi in their midst. To the people, amazement and fascination filled their minds. But for the artificial chips of the droids, there was only one thing to do.

"It's the Jedi! Blast her!" The lead droid of the bunch pointed its finger at Ruby, ordering all the droids in the vicinity to fire upon her. Soon, the droids blasted their weapons towards the Jedi, unleashing a barrage of furious red lasers. Ruby's lightsaber was then swung around; the silver blade to meet the red lasers and bouncing them off in all directions.

The civilians all panicked, running for their lives and into the city from the chaos. The droids were not even going to bother getting them to stay still or shoot them down; their programming set on terminating the Jedi Knight.

Ruby stood defiantly against the droids closing in on her as they fired their weapons, threatening to tighten the gap. She was starting to feel the pressure mounting on her, squeezing her with a greater concentration of firepower getting heavier. She had to move out and find another spot or slice off a few droid heads before they got together in a whole bundle. She turned her head to the droid in a split second, calling out for it to move before she got back to the battle droids.

"Come on!" Reluctantly, the T3 unit ran for its life towards the next cover it could use, trailing behind Ruby as it fled behind a pile of crates where it could be protected. Once the droid was safe, she used her speed powers to zoom towards the T3 droid. She then stood over the crates it was behind at and then threw her saber before the droids reacted. Crescent Rose spun right for the enemy like a spinning top, cutting through a few of the droids before flying back towards Ruby. She then hid behind the crates as soon as she caught her saber to check on her new friend.

"You okay?" she asked. The droid responded with multiple bleeps of panic. Ruby placed her hand on it again and tried to comfort it. "It's cool. You're doing great! Just keep it up." She looked at the target location, seeing that was only a few more feet away. Unfortunately, there was no more cover for the droid to hide behind. Thus, it had to do only one thing.

"Okay. I need you to run as fast as you can. I'll cover you all the way." Ruby's confidence sparked again, giving the droid more of a motivation to move on and depend on her protection. It gave a weak nod, confirming its resolve to survive. "Get ready."

Ruby then jumped over the crates to find the droids immediately ready to fire again. They let their firepower loose and Ruby was pushed to fire up her defence again. She moved to the open space between the T3 and Grondor's house so she could give it time and space to flee into the house.

"Go!" shouted Ruby. The droid quickly ran for it, heading right for the door while Ruby had the full force of the battle droids all to herself. Ruby knew the droids were already too clustered together and the concentrated grouping proved to be far more dangerous for her. She had to take the offensive on her own to try and cut up enough droids to buy the astromech time.

She jumped forward, knowing the droids would be focused on her instead of the T3. She landed right in the middle of the formation, excitement quickly overcoming her worries. When the droids all looked at the Jedi, Ruby could have sworn one of them frightfully said, 'Uh-oh'. Regardless, there was no mercy from her wrath as she made one quick spin of her body and swung her saber all around the droids. The silver blade devastated the entire formation in just one slice, putting them all out of commission.

Piles of sliced up droid remains fell on the ground, seared and smoking from the extremely burning power of Ruby's blade. The Jedi stood over them with pure rewarding happiness, so glad that she was able to fight off and destroyed her first troop of droids of the war. She could jump for joy for her successful strike, but there was no time for celebration. She looked to see that the T3 was able to make it to the door. It pulled out its slicer to unlock the door, working through the slightly more modern system. It was going to take time, but Ruby could wait out a few more minutes.

That was when she was met with reinforcements. Soon, a new squad of sixteen battle droids emerged from the landing pad where another shuttle had landed, marching forward while instantly firing their weapons at the Jedi. Ruby quickly defended herself again in the face of tens of lasers coming towards her. The raging fire of an enemy salvo stormed all around her, spinning her saber around to brave the storm of deadly projectiles. The droids were now too tight in their formation for Ruby to move forward; it was a deadly arrangement that would prove too dangerous to perform any saber offensive. There was either retreating or standing her ground.

"Get in there! Quick!" She shouted to the droid working at the door. The droid itself was not moving any quicker with its outdated slicer working through the keypad. It worked as fast as it could, but there wasn't any much progress it could make within that span of time.

The Jedi was starting to lose her footing, standing her ground that long was making her less concentrated and weakened by her prolonged defence. She was going to slowly lose her grip if this kept up. So, she once again resulted to using her own powers to even up the odds. Towards her left, she spotted a red barrel with a warning label attached to its side. Clearly, this was something everyone had to watch out for and it was all she needed to gain another edge. While she had her saber on her right hand, she used her other hand to levitate the explosive barrel. Ruby moved the barrel quickly on top of them and dropped it right in the middle of the droids, blowing the entire formation up.

With another set of droids down for the scrapheap, Ruby could finally get back to the droid and help him get through the door the right way. She turned around to look at the droid still managing at the door. She was about to run forward and help it out and enter the building to find the ship she would use to escape.

 **BWUIM!**

There was a lone blaster shot that, with the worst luck possible, hit Ruby's saber. Since the Jedi was not focusing on her grip, taken by surprise, the weapon was knocked right out of her hand; the blade shutting back inside as the saber fell to the ground. And then, with the greatest of misfortunes, Ruby herself gets shot at the back, causing her to fall on the ground hard.

She grabbed her back after falling down. Ruby felt not much pain other than a stinging burn. She was fortunate enough that her cape, despite being soft and fluffy, was actually made of armourweave; tough and resistant to most lasers. The shot was only powerful enough to throw Ruby down to the floor with a burn mark on her cape from the blast. She turned her head up after suffering from the burn to find another pair of battle droids walking towards her; one of them being the droid who shot her. They closed the distance, getting ready to shoot her down and end her, once and for all.

"Prepare to die, Jedi dog." the droid threatened, aiming right for Ruby's head to pull the trigger and terminate her. Ruby covered her face with her arm, using her cape as a shield to see if she could protect herself again, but knew well that she could not be able to prevent the blast from hitting her somehow.

 **BZZZTT!**

"WAAAHHHH!" The battle droid began to make fidgeting cries as it sounded like it was being electrocuted. Ruby removed the cloak from her eyes to see the droid shaking frantically with electric surging sparks throughout its body before it tumbled to the ground dead. The other droid looked panicked by the shutdown of its comrade.

But before it could even react, it too was met with the same fate. It was buzzed up by some electrical force before it shattered into a few pieces and fell to the ground. Ruby looked down to see what made the droids decouple into sizzling parts. And to her surprise, it was none other than the little droid who feared everything.

Chirping angrily at the droids' wreckages, the T3 droid had its own electric prod out, having saved Ruby's life by finally breaking out of its cowardly shell and went all out to save her. The Jedi smiled brightly seeing the droid standing up for her in the face of danger. She stood up, brushing off the soot on her cape before coming towards the droid, giving it her absolute praise for its bravery.

"See? You're definitely a brave droid!" She gave the droid a big hug, congratulating it for a job well done. The droid chirped brightly in response to her grateful embrace. Finally, after a thousand years of being left alone in eternal fear, it had mustered up all of its courage to save the one being who cared for it. It did not want to lose another friend, not like what happened to its master all those years ago.

As the two separated, they had to get back to business. They needed to leave before more droids arrived, running to Grondor's house where Ruby opened the door and went right in. Once they entered the messy hall, the T3 droid shook again, still timid over looking at the scene of its horrid abuse. Ruby, however, kept it close to her side, guiding it to the underground garage bay to locate Grondor's ship.

She looked around for the door that would lead to the bay, opening every single one she could find to reveal the closet where the droid was trapped in and the galley. Finally, after searching, she opened the last door where she found a flight of stairs heading downwards. She knew this was going to be the way to freedom and back to Coruscant.

Ruby and the droid raced downstairs, hearing the knocking noises on the entrance door which signalled the arrival of more droids. They ran all the way down before hearing a loud booming noise from upstairs, knowing the droids had blown open the door and were fast on their tails.

They opened up the door that would lead them to the next room and surely enough, they found the garage bay Jaybo told Ruby about. The chamber was smaller than any usual hangar bay, with the hangar doors being curved following along the walls of the circular room. The room itself was compact enough to house the one lone starship parked in the middle.

With a square arched spoiler at the back over the two narrow thrusters built into the ship's rear, the cockpit stuck out like Ruby's shuttle before it got blown up, but was more cuboid in shape. There were no weapons attached to it, but as long as it was fast, Ruby didn't mind at all.

However, the one thing she was now worried about was how to fly it. She'd been driving speeders and swoop bikes all her life, but flying a starship? Nope, not in her skill set. She had never even gone far enough in the Jedi Temple to try out the flight simulators and thus, had little to no experience flying. All the flight work was done mostly by her Master.

Thankfully, she wasn't going to have to worry for long. The T3 droid, without hesitation, hopped right into the cockpit, ejected the pilot seat which then crashed up in the ceiling before hitting the floor. It opened up the cockpit before taking control of the pilot seat and using its little arms to take hold of the controls. Ruby's eyes widened with fascination, noticing that the droid seemed to know how to operate a starship! Thank the Force she didn't have to do it. All she had to do was hop into the back seat behind the pilot's one and trust in the Force that the droid knew what it was doing.

As the cockpit closed, the T3 unit pressed more of the buttons to open up the hangar door. The door slid to the right, revealing the tunnel that would eventually lead them right out the cliffs and away outside. With the push of the throttle stick, the ship soon powered up and flew right through the dark tunnel and out to the bright cloudy skies of Iego. At last, Ruby had finally left the city with the droid in her possession. She held on tight as the T3 unit flew the ship away from Cliffhold City, past the Separatist ships coming in to reinforce the garrison below.

Down at the city, the fallen wreckages of droids littered the docking bay. As more droids landed down, a certain boy came forth to see what was left of the carnage. Fortunately, there were no deaths on sight, but what Jaybo was really looking for was the more mechanical kind of casualties. Before the ships landed, the boy jumped out to collect some of the fallen bodies left behind by Ruby. He crouched down and picked up the head of a destroyed battle droid, inspecting it to see what use it should provide him. With that in mind, he thought of a brilliant idea…

"Oooh…" he cooed with ambition. "I could use these."

* * *

The chaos was watched over by the Separatist Commander Greeta from his command bridge. He spectated the whole troublesome affair unfold right before his eyes, seeing the Jedi finally escape with his prize. It was all very unsettling for him. The Neimoidian rubbed his eyes with his one hand from the frustration of his defective droids. He was certainly glad they were all terminated; otherwise, he'd have them melted in the factories for all he cared.

"Sir." A battle droid came from behind his command chair and reported. "We lost the Jedi and the droid."

Nevertheless, even with the droid lost to the Republic, the Commander was not going to let this defeat get to him. If there was one way to get satisfaction from this defeat, then it would have to be a cruel reminder of what the Confederacy of Independent Systems would do to those who associate with the Republic… in any way…

"It doesn't matter now. Contact the captain. We are going to go ahead and claim this planet for the Separatist Alliance."

* * *

The T3 droid flew out from orbit and into the debris field. Wiggling around with the controls, it sped through the littered mess of broken space junk and away from the planet as quickly as it could. Ruby held on for dear life, rethinking her options. Apparently, despite the near misses, the droid didn't seem to be the best pilot, having nearly crashed into a lot of the debris on their way out.

The Thicket, as Jaybo called it, was such a tricky field of junk that fortunately got less crowded, giving much clearer space for the droid to finally fly straight. Ruby took a deep breath, relieved that she was finally having a smooth ride for a change. However, things didn't turn out to be smooth once she turned around to see another horrid sight.

From afar, away from the debris field, suddenly, three large frigates warped from hyperspace heading straight for the planet. These pointy frigates with claw-shaped shells pointing out at the front and back of each ship, speared right for the surface of Iego. Ruby recognized well enough as ships of the Intergalactic Banking Clan from a previous mission on Muunilinst, and now, she was aware of what they now represented. These frigates, once served the IGBC in defence of their planet, now served the Separatists as the part of the navy.

Ruby felt a powerful sense of guilt in her heart. Because she exposed herself to the Separatists, they had found a reason to exert their dominance of the planet. She allowed herself to let the enemy know she was involved in the planet for the war. And now, people like Jaybo would have to live with the fear of occupation and oppression, because she let them take control of the planet.

Her head sloped down after feeling the guilt of failing to maintain a low profile and now that it cost the planet its freedom. As the ship she was in prepared to make the jump to hyperspace, Ruby realized how much trouble she was going to be in for letting a whole planet fall to the enemy, even as she obtained the droid for the Council. It was an error she was going to remember throughout her time in the war.

* * *

Jedi Temple,

Coruscant,

Coruscant System,

Ruby had managed to arrive back at the Jedi Temple safe and sound. The droid she obtained was now safely back in Jedi hands after thousands of years, being tended to by the technicians at the Temple to restore what was left inside it the whole time. Ruby could call it a mission success, but to be honest, she really didn't feel like she did a job well done.

She paced around the hallways outside the technical room where the droid was extracting information for the Jedi. She walked around and around, not only anxious about the droid's aged condition, but also about what the Council thought of her mission. Thanks to her actions, a whole planet was now under the control of the Separatists. She expected her old Master to come give her a little post-Padawan lesson to explain her mistakes, and knowing Kenta, he wouldn't let it go so easily.

Once Ruby stopped, she saw the Jedi Master himself come forward; strict as anticipated. She felt the disappointment in his face as he walked towards her. The two finally met, Ruby unable to put up a strong face towards her old Master. Her foot shuffled on the ground with shame and disappointment.

"Ruby." he muttered with his classic teacher-like demeanour.

"Master…" Ruby sighed. She couldn't even bring herself to say his actual name, reducing herself to the impatient young Padawan who had to be lectured constantly. She waited for Kenta to say something to her, but the Jedi Master shook his head.

"What do you think I'm going to say?" he asked, though Ruby understood it came out as rhetoric. Kenta took no hesitance to deliver the report of the day. "You completely let your frustration out and nearly threatened the mission because of it. Using your lightsaber in the middle of a peaceful mission is not a recommended choice. And as a result, you allowed the Separatists to take control of a planet that had nothing to do with the war."

"I know." Ruby's guilt was built up to greater heights. The thought of Iego falling to the enemy was already bad enough; now Kenta had to rub it into her head again. She turned away from her Master, unable to look him in the face and walked to the window where she could see the setting sun of Coruscant's skies spreading an orange essence around the city. "I… I didn't mean to…" She was almost at the point of sobbing from the mistakes she made. She didn't want the whole planet to suffer any consequence because of her errors, and now, it happened and it was killing her inside.

Kenta sighed. His paternal instincts kicked in again. Even if Ruby needed to hear what he felt about her mistakes, he had to control his authority over her. He only did what was natural for a Jedi Master, but he wasn't as strict as Master Windu or even the newly appointed Master Krell. He had been taking care of Ruby ever since she was born, somewhat evolving into a father figure whether he liked it or not.

"Ruby." Kenta changed the tone of his voice, turning into the caring but firm figure he truly was. "There comes a time where you have to understand what's at stake whenever you go out doing these things. This wasn't just about the droid. This was also about making sure that we don't expose ourselves long enough to capture unwanted attention from the outside world."

Ruby nodded while still looking away, listening to Kenta's words bit by bit. The Jedi Master kept up his momentum, eager to teach Ruby the meaning of being a Jedi protector; an emissary of good will and peace, only acting with his or saber when something threatens that peace.

"Next time, Ruby. I need you to think about the consequences of your actions before you start doing them. There are beings in the galaxy that don't want any trouble from our war against the Separatists, so you need to have some conscience before you start swinging your weapon around." He went next to Ruby and clasped her shoulder, gently shaking her to cheer her up.

"You just need to keep in mind about where and how you choose to fight your battles. It's not easy, but you need to hold in your emotions when you are faced with adversity, Ruby. Otherwise, you'd fall into temptation and remember where that leads to." The Jedi Knight took a little while to take in what Kenta said. Indeed, she had gone rash and acted upon her emotions. Not only did it get Iego under Separatist occupation, but surely enough, it almost made her break the Jedi code; to restrain from unleashing your blade based on your thoughts and feelings.

However, she wasn't going to let her failures get the best of her for long. She may have made a mistake, but there is still hope for Iego. Maybe one day, she would return to the planet and free it; to correct her wrongs and make it up to the people. This was only the beginning and all would come to a hopeful conclusion soon enough. She just had to train herself to be more patient and focused on the tasks at hand.

What did remain inside of her was her resolve. She vowed to make sure the galaxy was a better place and she was not going to let one error bring her down. She was Ruby Rose, daughter of one of the most abled Jedi Knights out there. Nothing was going to come her way, but that all would start if she learnt to become a better Jedi for herself.

"I won't let you down. Nor anyone else." she promised, finally snapping out of her depressed state and putting up her hopeful gaze. Kenta too smiled back, satisfied that his former Padawan hadn't lost the will to learn from her mistakes. In fact, he didn't think she'd failed spectacularly. There was the other half of the mission that more than made up for her wrongs.

"But you did exceptionally well after you were exposed." he admitted. "I can say that you handled yourself well against an army of battle droids on your first go. And you protected the droid with a focused mind and some quick thinking to it. You still managed to pull off a successful task after you messed up."

Ruby couldn't help but feel her smile widened. The praises from her Master were always so enlightening, making her feel just right knowing that she did the right thing and especially after making a blunder.

"Well, let us get back to the droid. We can start getting back what was lost in it so long ago." And perhaps, what she did manage to successfully accomplish then would go on to bring hope that the galaxy would see the end of war as quickly as possible. The droid she saved; it had some vital information that could spell trouble to other systems out there. Thanks to her heroic actions later, she saved more star systems and maybe even the Republic from falling into enemy hands. No matter how significant the data was, every bit of it being saved counted.

And so, the two Jedi entered the technical room, which was the Temple's own research and development lab. This was where Ruby could see the T3 droid fresh out of the workbench, descending down after a fresh clean-up and extraction of the information it held. The Parwan doctor tending to the droid earlier wriggled his way towards another droid station, leaving the T3 unit with another friendly face. A Kel'dor Jedi Master who turned to greet the two jedi with a bow.

"So…" Ruby spoke, bowing politely to the tall Master before her. "How is he?" Master Kenta gave a small uncomfortable glance at his old Padawan for referring to the droid with the mannerism fit for a living thing. She simply called **it** a 'he', suggesting something connecting between the two. Personally, he didn't really like where that was going, but chose to stay silent and let Master Plo Koon do the talking.

"The droid has the intel we need." Plo Koon spoke with a low, electronic voice coming out of his breathing apparatus. The first time Ruby met Master Plo, she was scared stiff at the frightful appearance of the Keldor Jedi, with his seemingly menacing look and tall stature, not to mention said breathing device and vision enhancements only enhancing his intimidating look. He basically towered over and haunted her for the first few years into youngling training. Over time, however, she grew to know the Master better and now, he was one of Ruby's fondest friends, kindly lecturing her as devoted as he could. "Apparently, it had a lot of info regarding Republic military strategies that could have been used at the time "A lot of it would have given the Separatists a head start in the war." There was great relief and resound gratefulness within Ruby, thankful that saving the droid was indeed what she wanted from her first mission.

But there was till one big question that, with all honesty, was more important to her than the purpose of the droid itself.

"And what about the droid?" She looked to the T3 droid, who rolled its way to greet the Jedi Knight. She bent down and gave it a soothing hug after seeing how brand new it looked. After seeing that the droid had finally been given a proper polish after being abandoned for so long, she could finally let her hands wipe the squeaky clean metal like a washed window. The droid was just so brushed up, that it looked to be as it was during its heyday. However, Ruby was still questioning about its fate. "What are you going to do with him?"

Master Plo grabbed his chin, inquisitively wondering why Ruby asked such a question. Looking at how affectionate she had become of the droid, he began to picture it himself.

"The one thing we can do is find someone else who could use it." answered Kenta. "I'm sure someone in the city could afford him."

Ruby didn't want to see it like this, but it was now time to part ways with the droid. Now that it was free from the burdens of carrying classified information, it no longer had to become so underused. It could now find someone who could take care of it like any good owner would. The parting was not going to be sweet, but Ruby didn't have any other choice. She looked at the droid one last time, reluctant to let go.

"You have a new future to follow through, little fella." She braved her emotions, thinking only about the positive things that could always make her feel better for it. "You're going to find a wonderful master you can watch over. And then, in return, maybe he or she could look after you the right way."She lowered her head, breaking the urge to shed tears. She took a while to stay silent and fight off her feelings. It was for the best, for the both of them.

Ruby stood back up after finally coming to terms with her thoughts. She had to bid farewell and hope for the best that the droid would finally become something important to only the person it would accompany. She was about ready to say goodbye and move on, until the droid did something almost heartbreaking.

It then bumped into Ruby's legs, beeping loudly and calling out to her, as if telling her not to go. She felt the hidden emotion the droid was firing out to her, making her feel heavy again. Once again, though, she had to bend down and stop the droid from begging her to stay. As much as she wanted to help it, she knew it was not going to happen.

"Now, come on." said Ruby with a heavy heart. "I can't always be there for you. It's…" She didn't want to continue, but again, a Master was true to his words. "Part of the rules."With its hopes dashed, the droid finally decided to stop. It bent its body down and whimpered with a low, slow beep. It was tough, but Ruby had to let the bond between her and the droid come to a friendly halt. She did her best to give a smile to the droid, wanting it to know that there was someone better out there who could care for it. "Please, don't be sad. I'm sure someone else could make you be a better droid better than me." Unknown to her, however, the droid didn't feel like there could be anyone better…

Even in that small amount of time it knew her, the droid always felt a special bond it forged with this Jedi. By saving its life and giving it the attention its late master did, it felt like there could be hope that it would find someone again. And when it saved her life back on Iego, it knew well enough it found the rightful person to fill it with purpose again.

Alas, there was nothing it could do prevent the hard reality from happening. It had to comply with Ruby's path, almost like it was her own programming. It didn't want to get in the way of her journey to becoming a Jedi Master and so decided to accept being separated from her.

"I'm gonna miss you, too." Ruby gave the droid one last hug before separating, now feeling even more broken about leaving it behind. Perhaps, this could have been the droid she wanted her whole life. Then, she wouldn't feel so lonely out there, despite her Masters' encouragements to not hold people so dearly. But it wasn't going to go the way she wanted and she knew it.

The touching scene was watched by the Jedi Masters, who both had differing opinions about the seemingly forged bond between Jedi and droid. For one, Master Kenta wasn't really fond of watching Ruby feel sad. However, his devotion to the Order kept him from changing the inevitable. On the other hand, Master Plo kept on inspecting the scene, sensing something… rather interesting.

"It seems that this droid is rather fond of our young Rose, isn't it?" commented Plo Koon.

"Well…" Kenta had to admit; Ruby did seem to break into this droid's core and made it feel close to the Jedi. This time, however, he did feel like something should be done to help both of them. "I suppose it does. But, we can't just…"

"Come now, Kenta." Master Plo insisted. Ruby heard the two converse, looking over the droid's head to hear some more. "If Master Skywalker can have a droid to bond with…" Ruby wasn't exactly sure, but Master Plo seemed to have turned his head to face her… with a bright smile if she could see through his mask. "Then I suppose, it won't hurt for young Rose to have her own droid now, wouldn't it?"

And then, with a sudden twist of feelings, Ruby felt her heart race with excitement and hope. Could it be that Master Plo was actually approving of her bond with the droid? Almost enough to let her keep it?!

"Really?!" She couldn't help but stand up, fists clenched together close to her chest. The droid too spun around and beeped with the same response.

"After all, it has always been programmed to be by the side of a Jedi Knight. So, it should stand to reason why it can make a great companion for Ruby." justified Plo Koon, adding more delight for Ruby and the T3 unit.

"I don't know…" But of course, there was the stubborn shell of Master Kenta, who rubbed the back of his head, just unsure if he should let Ruby keep the droid. Then, he was startled when Ruby dashed right in front of him with optimism etched on her face.

"Please, Kenta!" Ruby begged before turning back to the droid. "This poor guy hadn't been taken care of in centuries. The one person he needs most is someone he could truly trust. And…" She walked towards the droid, kneeling down again to wrap her arm around it. Finally, she gave her old Master one good look and poured out her determination for the droid. "I think he trusts me the most."

Kenta had to think it through. Of all the people to tell it to her, it was he who always told Ruby to never let her attachments get in the way of the Order's beliefs. He had to remind her that a Jedi's emotions could lead to darkness should the people they care for be lost forever. It was a trait everyone in the Order had to follow. At the same time, however, there could be some exceptions. And seeing how Master Plo so calmly suggested it, then maybe there could be a good reason to let this go just for once.

"If you're sure, Master Plo…" Kenta gave Plo Koon an unsure look before surrendering. He faced Ruby and gave her his approving smile of gratitude. "Very well, Ruby. You can keep the droid. I suppose you could make a fine new master for it." Shaking his head, he had to remember that the droid was going to be part of Ruby's life more ways than one. "I mean, **him**."

"Yes!" Ruby jumped with cheers, followed along by the droid. She gave it… No. She gave **him** another huge embrace for finally being allowed to keep him. "Thank you so much!" She ran to her Masters and hugged them both too. Master Plo chuckled at her fiery enthusiasm. This wasn't the only time he had been give cherished embraces from younglings or Padawans in the Temple. Kenta, however, was always the victim of Ruby's choke-inducing bear hugs.

Ruby finally let go of them to join her own new droid, instantly walking out with him to wherever she might take him.

"From now on, you're my partner for my missions. You and I are going to do so much for the galaxy, buddy." The droid chirped along in approval, vowing to serve Ruby whenever he could. Then, Ruby tapped her chin, thinking of something that the droid might had needed.

"You know; you could use a name." she suggested. The droid buzzed with curiosity. He was fine with his own name, but hearing that Ruby hadn't known of its own, he probably wouldn't mind having it changed. It could be a good way to forget the horrible past behind himself.

So, Ruby and the droid cruised along the hallway as she thought of a name, thoughtfully selecting it based on the droid's own appearance. "I know!" She spun back and looked at the droid to let it know of what she thought. "Since you have these cute little ear-like sensors on your head, I'm going to call you, Zee!" The droid titled his head, unsure of why she chose to name him that. "You remind me of the anooba I got for my dad, Zwei. So that's what I'm going to call you from now on. You okay with that?"

After being asked of the name, the droid decided that he could go with that choice. If he reminded her of a treasured family member, then who was he to argue. It was settled. The droid had a new name, now. He was now officially called Zee. A new name as a start of a new spun in a circle to prove his enjoyment of the name.

"Cool!" Ruby cheered. And now, there was going to be a lot more to do for her droid. Perhaps some upgrades wouldn't hurt. And not just any upgrades like the ones the lab would give it. Ruby would give it the finest accessories and tools **she** would choose. That meant travelling through shops and markets to find the right pieces. "What do you say we head to my room for some plans? You could use a bit of a tune-up. I mean, I'm sure things have changed a lot in a few hundred years." And as they went on, the two continued to discuss the changes needed to be done.

All the while, the two Masters in the lab watched them from behind. Kenta again displayed concern over this new bond between the two.

"I'm not sure about this, Master Plo." confessed Kenta. "I've always told Ruby to not to form attachments that easily. Even if it's with a droid…"

"Yes, but you forget, young Kenta." reminded Master Plo. "Sometimes, even a Jedi would need some company, one way or another. And I believe Ruby's judgement to be just and true. Her intentions are just as noble as she is towards other beings, living or not. Her kindred spirit reminds me more of Skywalker with his droid as well."

Kenta smiled. Yes, Ruby may be a bit of a social freak, but that was what probably made him and her so close. And not only that, but even her fellow younglings and eventually Padawans learnt a thing or two about getting along with others thanks to her charming enthusiasm. Ruby seems to have that effect on people and for better or worse, that was going to stick for as long as she's around.

He could only hope that she didn't stray too far into making friends with others. For all he knew, she was still vulnerable to the many dark things the galaxy would throw at her. heck, she was only fifteen. Even as a Jedi, one at that age could still become lost in the perpetual blight of the Dark Side. There was only hope that she would break through the boundaries and become a worthy Jedi in the end.

As for Ruby and Zee, they were both now partners in a galaxy struck by war. They were going to depend on each other more often than they'd like, but that's what their bond was all about now. They were going to face the challenges of war… together.

* * *

 **A/N~ Bloody long one this was, eh? Tell me what you thought of this chapter. I'll be taking a bit of a break from this story to focus on the other fics in my collection, so please have patience and let the Force calm your desires!**

 **Again, thank you so much for your support and may the Force be with you!**


	12. Brothers in Arms

**A/N~ Chinese New Year's around the corner, so I've got to upload this chapter before I head off for the holidays. Other than that, I've finally had the chance to finish RWBY Volume 5. Personally, not much of the fighting compared to what we're used to, but the emotional build-up is always welcome and I can't wait for what's to come next.**

 **For now, I shall await more from Rooster Teeth, especially the new shows and seasons of the old ones, and even more ideas on what I can create from them.**

 **Reviews:**

 **Cy Man**

 **No worries, man. There isn't really much that has been affected by the change so we're all good. The colour change is final and I'm sure a lot more can come out of making the colour that way. And thanks so much for enjoying the last chapter. I did seem to miss the fact that Anakin was a Padawan around this time, so I'll make the changes soon.**

 **FeartheKnown**

 **Thanks so much! More will come, I promise!**

 **g00fy jedi**

 **Glad I could help clarify what has been made :)**

 **Guest**

 **Well, in a way, yes. There is Aura and Semblance in my universe, but as a Star Wars fan, I'm going to pull a 'From a Certain Point of View' on this. So, depending on where you're from or who you talk to, there would be many people who believe in different ways of the Force, like how religions work in the real life. So, Aura and Semblance does exist, as the people of Remnant believe in it as part of the Force.**

 **I'm currently doing another fanfic as a guide to how the worlds of RWBY can fit into the Star Wars universe, and I'll be releasing a chapter based on Aura and Semblance quite soon, so stay tuned!**

 **And as always, thanks to StarSaber5, whyisthissoawesome, g00fy jedi, SaiyatonianSage, skifffarkas, prophecysl4yer, AnbuNaruto12, mek0104, Oj742, whitestriker1219, Johnny Spectre, Dioisalive, SirSpangler, unseenw0lf and jetmound for all the favourites and follows!**

 **Once again, thank you all so much for the support and stay hooked! May the Force be with you!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Brothers in Arms**

 **The heart of a soldier is with his weapon. But the weapon of a warrior is with his heart...**

 _War finally begins!_

 _The first battles of the Clone Wars are being fought over the control over numerous systems in the Outer Rim._

 _While the clone armies of the Republic race to fight immediately, the knights of the Jedi Order prepare to mobilize to aid the troops._

* * *

Jedi Temple,

Coruscant,

Coruscant System

Ruby walked around one of the Temple's many hallways, pondering about where the current war would take her next. She wasn't certain where she would be going next, but the anxiety and the demand for some action was getting to her really fast. Her feet were picked up faster than normal, her heart racing even more just waiting for her next mission.

This time, she wasn't alone in her train of thought. Right next to her, rolling around looking at Ruby at every turn, her new droid, Zee, constantly spun around following his gaze at its Jedi owner. Although given the official identification as ZW-23, Ruby was still advocate on calling him the name she gave him, not so keen on going through with these confusing mixtures of numbers and letters in many other forms. She'll just give them nicknames or newer names based on the acronyms to sound a little easier to call.

Anyways, Ruby and Zee were both waiting by for the Council to give her next mission. She was waiting for her old Master, Kenta to arrive and join her. She found it a little odd to have finally ventured out on her own, only to have Kenta re-join her for the next one, just as it was when she was just a student under his tutelage. Granted, she was grateful that she'd manage to get some company from her father figure, but right when she felt like taking on the galaxy all by herself, she would be prompted to participate in campaigns alongside the Jedi Master. She supposed, however, it was for the best. She was going to a military campaign after all, as in meeting soldiers and fighting alongside them in large open battles, so she'd need all the help she could get to guide her through them.

Soon enough after stopping and turning around, she found her old friend walking towards her. The two came together where Ruby had to ask about her appointment with Kenta on the field.

"Remind me why you're coming along, Kenta?" Ruby asked, earning a questioning glance from Kenta. She soon realized what she had just said and frantically tried to disclaim any negative intentions upon uttering those words. "Not that I don't want to, but…" Kenta stopped her with a calm hand up and a shake of his head to let her know that she was in the clear.

"For smaller missions, yes, you'd do fine on your own." explained Kenta. "However, since we're going to war, we all need to stick together as much as we can if we are to have a better chance of fighting this conflict." Then, he gave Ruby a teasing stare, as if to point out something from her attitude. "And didn't you used to say you weren't ready to go on your own, my old Padawan?" Stunned by her own previous words, Ruby pouted while looking away, childishly trying to defend herself.

"That was before!" she countered in her short-tempered tone.

"Well, let's face it." added Kenta. "You're going to need the help if you're to stand a chance." Ruby had to agree; nothing was certain in war. She could feel like being the strongest and fastest there is and would beat an entire army on her own. However, even the most ambitious Jedi, at a level tolerated by the Council at least, like herself were always far from being that powerful. It was always best if she was given proper backup alongside the armies of the Republic. To her credit as well, Kenta wasn't the kind of person who would know what fighting in a war felt like.

"But you've never fought in a war too, right?" asked Ruby back.

"Then consider this **both** of our first hand experiences." Kenta flawlessly responded to equalize the playing field. It was a result Ruby didn't mind going with, so they went on their merry way.

"Hey!" she then spoke up when she noticed the other 'person' present in the conversation. "You're forgetting Zee here. He's got to come along too." The refitted T3 droid beeped happily at its inclusion to the team. Kenta chuckled at the amusing display of emotion he had begun to see for some time now.

"Right." he amusingly said. "Sorry, little fella." Suddenly, the droid rolled to the side, passing Ruby before pulling out its new and improved electric prod to give Kenta a nasty surprise.

 **BZZZT!**

"Ow!" The electrical appendage gave a nice little shock to the Master's leg, causing him to jump up in a startled pace as if being bitten by a kreetle creature from Tatooine. Those nasty jaws would be enough to deter even the most hardcore of fighters. After the droid starting beeping in a laughing matter, Kenta gave his old apprentice one stiff stare; something that Ruby found both amusing but intimidating at the same time. When she looked at his face, she decided to play it with sass.

"Don't look at me." Ruby mockingly waved her hands up like she was pretending to not be responsible for the stunt. " **You're** the one who called him 'little fella'." And to add a bit of injury to the insult, Zee beeped along with her little snickers afterwards, leaving Kenta to shake his head and thinking about whether she had inherited any of her dad's tricks along the way.

As the trio had their fun, they were about to head over to the next step in their journey through war. They were to be deployed to the Republic's military headquarters just nearby to assemble and disembark towards their primary goal.

* * *

Republic Cruiser Staging Grounds,

Coruscant,

Coruscant System,

Ruby walked excitedly across the huge landing zone built especially for Republic capital ships on the surface of the city. Large, triangular _Venator_ -class cruisers were docked on open spaces of flooring between structural blocks which were joined together by long walkways extending from the blocks, allowing access into the cruisers. The young Jedi looked around to see a complete collection of all of these soldiers marching around carrying cargo or simply lining up to enter the lower boarding ramps down below the gigantic battle cruiser above her.

The _Spear of Coruscant_ was among many Venator cruisers which were docked and being loaded in with all of the manpower, equipment and more, off to be deployed to the battles taking place right about now above orbits of other worlds. Ruby couldn't contain her excitement upon the sheer size of the ship alone, let alone the rest of the soldiers and mighty vehicles being loaded into the ship. Right beside her, her old Master and droid were trailing along, leaving her to bask in the glory of the new clone army being deployed to action.

She kept her eyes locked on the shiny, sleek white armour as they all stood in line with their long DC-15 rifles held to their chests without being distracted by her attentive gazes of admiration. Ruby kept on staring at each passing soldier as she followed Kenta and Zee towards the lift that would take them to the less-crowded walkways to board the ship. The older Jedi Knight turned around to see his former pupil being so intrigued by the clones around them.

"So, these are the clone troopers we're fighting with?!" Ruby exclaimed. "So cool!"

"They do seem impressive, don't they?" added Kenta. When Ruby returned to his side, she had to wonder about one thing she tended to notice about these clones. She had to put a finger on the subject and voice out her opinion on how these troopers all seemed to be as alive… as a bunch of statues.

"They all seem so… stiff." stated Ruby. "Nothing like the soldiers we've met in Vale or anywhere else in Remnant." The soldiers she had seen on several of Remnant's worlds all displayed different states of emotion. Whether it was the honourable respective attitude of Vale's men, the tactical geniuses of Anima's soldiers, or even the proud and rambunctious men of Solitas; one thing was clear that they all had a soul to make them who they were. The clones, however, didn't seem to have anything worth noticing, except that they were all standing at attention, awaiting their orders to move out. Like droids… well, most of them anyway, they all had to await one single command before moving out without question.

"They're clones, Ruby." explained Kenta. "They were bred for only one thing. To fight. To answer orders without question." The young girl looked at all the clones assembled in their marching order and wondered to herself if fighting alongside such single-minded clones would be easy. Despite being at most times socially awkward, at least she enjoyed the company of people who were willing to talk at all. These clones had to obey orders without objecting to any misconception or lack of logic or even any personal choice of matters to come. They were basically droids, answering only to the ones who should lead them. At least Zee had some form of sentience inside of him, so these clones, to Ruby, might had seemed to be quite, as they say, by the book a hundred percent of the way. Perhaps she could enjoy something from the lack of deep talk, adding up to her own deficiency of social skills, but there was something she didn't really find to be quite right with interacting with a bunch of soldiers who fight or die without a voice of their own, metaphorically speaking of course.

* * *

 _The Spear of Coruscant,_

Coruscant,

Coruscant System,

Upon entering the ship, Ruby had another pleasant trip of glorious eye candy as she explored the colossal hangar area of the Venator cruiser's interior. She was already looking around a spacious bay with a few triple-winged fighters, in which each fighter's wings were folded upwards in their landing positions. Astromechs and clones work side by side ensuring that the fighters' conditions were all well taken care of before their eventual deployment for battle. Other ships in the area included the larger gunships with their unique-looking ball turrets mounted on both wings and the sides of the craft themselves, and thick starfighters with two tubular engines mounted on both sides of the rear. Ruby could make out about ten fighters and landing craft in the bay; an amazing feat, considering that she was only in one of these cargo bays, out of a lot more built in two rows flanking a much larger space below the upper bay doors that lined the outer shell of the ship.

As she admired the militaristic scene, she soon saw that Kenta had stopped upon a few clones by a gunship, presumably the one they would eventually board for battle at their mission. The mission, as far as she remembered, was about an attack upon a Separatist fortress situated on the planet Igma Dun, a rather barren world located far out in the Outer Rim. Just as many other battles being fought in the opening stages of the Clone War, the Outer Rim had been a cesspool for the first Separatist attacks upon the Republic, and wherever the Republic's sphere of influence bordered that with the Confederacy's, there was sure to be fertile ground for intense devastation and destruction.

She kept her calm as best she could. Ruby still felt the tense situation of the war to be quite unnerving, to put it bluntly. She couldn't anticipate what would come from the devastating firepower of both sides colliding with each other in what might had been an apocalyptic scenario of hellish bombing and mounting casualties; the latter of which, Ruby wished not to be traumatized by. Despite all the training she had done to build up her courage, nothing could ever prepare her for the amount of suffering and destruction she would come to face. All the lives she did take were already hurtful enough during her first stages as Padawan, and no matter how much she managed to get over the fact that she had to… end some individuals, she was always told to limit her abilities so that unnecessary death could be avoided. Now, however, things were already changing as not only would she have to fight an entire arsenal of Separatist droids, but would also have to face the unfathomable fate of watching soldiers die all around her as they fight for one goal.

Defend the Republic and defeat the Separatists.

And, as much as she hated to admit it, she was at least taking in the comfort, knowing that most of the soldiers she would fight with were nothing more than hardcore soldiers, loyal and bred to fight 'till the last man, and that she wouldn't have to worry about forming some shape of bond or interaction that, in her standards, deemed probable.

"Hey, kid!" Suddenly, Ruby and Zee heard a rather bombastic call from out of nowhere. Hearing to where it came from, they turned their heads to find a couple of clones; sitting around among a pile of crates. The clones wore their white armour which sported a large maroon line coming down from the neck to the thigh section, with their similarly-painted helmets worn off, exposing their indistinguishable faces.

She didn't know what to think it, but it seemed like, as one of them was looking at her, they were actually doing something that she hadn't seen in any of the other clones.

They were slacking off, resting their bodies against the crates as if they were on a break. One of the clones, the one who called out to her, was sitting on one box while resting his arms against more behind him. The other was basically being seated on another crate, eventually turning to look at Ruby as well with his hands grasping each other at front.

"Do you mind grabbing that canister over there?" Again, Ruby felt the awkwardness being filled inside of her as she could see the clone relaxingly requesting her to help him take his canteen just a few feet away from him, atop a fuel barrel. She felt that the behaviour these two were showing was rather… weird.

"Excuse me?" She tried to make sense at how relaxed these two seemed, in contrast to all the other clones she had seen. "I think you should be doing that." She had to remind the clones of what was meant for them to do. Answer orders without question. But weirder still, the clones didn't follow her command, still remaining where they were.

"Come on!" the ruder clone relented. "Don't be such a lazy bum!" Ruby groaned, insulted by how the clone was treating her as. Perhaps he didn't know that she was supposed to be a Jedi Knight and he needed a little reminder of what she would do to those who messed with her. But it turned out she didn't need to. It was then that the other clone, shaking his head, stood right up and complied with Ruby's statement and doing the work for her.

"Apologies, Commander." said the other clone, who had a distinct Mohawk hairstyle compared to the bald head of the former. His voice sounded a little kinder than the other, but still coming off with a sorry tone. "He's always this way." The clone then walked back to the bald clone and handed to him the canteen, albeit with a bit of rudeness in his voice.

"Here you go, you darn bloke." The bald clone snatched the bottle from his comrade's hand before gulping down the drink like some drunkard. The gulps down the throat were almost audible and the way the clone laid back down on his spot looked to make him even more of a slouch.

"Thanks!" the clone bellowed after quenching his thirst, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. This set of emotions surprised Ruby. After seeing how these two behaved, it was almost… out of place to say the least. After instantly being accustomed to the idea that the clones were nothing more than soldiers meant to listen to commands to the very end, she suddenly came face-to-face with a bunch of dysfunctional clones, acting and talking like more sentient beings, right down to the drinking habits. She had to assume that there had to be some malfunction in the cloning process, causing them to break from their usual programming and had to live their lives as normal people… or something else. All this talk about clones was starting to make her head spin from all the theories and other science-y stuff.

"Is there something wrong, ma'am?" Her puzzled expression was soon picked up by the more obedient clone, who proceeded to ask the Jedi of her questioning look. Taken aback by the sudden question, Ruby flinched slightly, totally not expecting the clone to notice her pondering face.

"Sorry." she sheepishly apologized. "I just thought… well…" She then stopped. It came to her that what she wanted to say wouldn't be as gracious as she had thought. She was suddenly faced with the sudden reality that she had spoken before she contemplating of what it might do to those she talked to. The hesitation had halted her from speaking any further, unsure of what to say next.

"Go on!" the bald clone encouraged her to say what was in her mind, almost coy about knowing what she would say about him. "Speak up, lass. We can take it. We're clones!" Ruby didn't really feel any better being given the permission to speak her mind about these two strange clones. She was still stalling on her words as she tried to finally get her thoughts out to satisfy the clones' questions.

"I thought you might be… that." Finally, after conceding, she pointed out to the otherwise familiar scenario of the troop of clones marching away from the trio. The two clones took a look at their marching brothers so perfectly in sync with their triumphant formation heading for whatever the war might have taken them. The bald clone simply scoffed, as if not seeing what Ruby saw in those clones compared to himself.

"Oh them." He nonchalantly pointed at the troop with his thumb, as if to dismiss their presence. "Well, don't mind them, ma'am. They're all **perfect** clones. Taken right out of our template. Serious, quiet. Always by the book. That's just them, alright!"

"Template?" wondered Ruby.

"Our original host. The one who gave us our genes." the other clone explained. Ruby soon started nodding in understanding, at least she hoped she got the whole thing written down… Okay, maybe she didn't know exactly about the word' template', but it had to be something that made all the clones, right? Well, she hoped she was sort of on the mark. Anyway, if the clones were meant to be all the same, then why were these two so different? How could they have unique personalities when they weren't supposed to?

"And you guys don't see yourselves just like them? I mean, you're all the same, aren't you?" When Ruby's question came out, the bald clone just chuckled it off, as if finding it quite ridiculous. Having someone respond to her question with a laugh, especially a taunting cackle, it was all rather annoying to Ruby as she moved her fists to her hips while scowling at the clone.

"I can see why you would ask such a question, lass." assured the clone. "We prefer things **our** way."

"This here's CT-2222, but you can call him 'Duo'." introduced the clone with the Mohawk hair to his bare-headed comrade. "I'm CT-3142. Just call me 'Pi'." The one called Duo saluted with two of his fingers towards Ruby as a greeting. Ruby had seen another new feat amongst these clones that made them different from the others. It seemed that they had decided to give themselves names instead of the standard identification codes given to them by their superiors. Was there something more to these clones than she had figured?

Either way, she didn't want to stand there and let more questions flood into her head. The least she could do was acknowledge the soldiers' greetings.

"I'm Ruby." she said with cheer. "This is my droid pal, Zee." The T3 droid added with equal enthusiasm. The clones, however, didn't seem to be paying attention to the droid, interacting with Ruby instead. The Jedi supposed it was going to be one of those days when people tend to ignore droids in the typical manner. Though, she would like to keep the attention away from herself as much as she could, even if Zee didn't mind any. Then again, the droid was still getting used to being in a crowded scene after being left alone for a long time.

"Well. Pleasure meeting 'ya, chap!" Duo cheered, giving a sharp, lazy wave as he continued to kick back and relax. His partner didn't really share his relaxed attitude, shaking his head as he went to correct Duo's mistake.

"Duo." With a stern voice, he disciplined the more laidback brother. "Let's not disrespect the Jedi Knight in front of us." Again, Duo had the tenacity to make fun of Pi for his instructive personality.

"Ah! Now look who's going by the book now, eh?" he taunted.

"Shut up, you." Not wanting to go any further, Pi immediately shut himself up, not bothered to prolong a pointless argument. The rough conversation between the two, however, seemed very amusing to Ruby, not enough to make her snicker, but she found herself lifted in spirits after seeing these two clones bicker at each other. It sure was a weird feat she had learnt; seeing these clones develop some sentient emotions while most of the others had none, or at least very few, whatsoever.

"You two sure are close." commented the Jedi.

"We were born next to each other. We're what we call ourselves, 'Vat Brothers'." explained Duo, earning some disapproving annoyance from Pi.

"You made up that name. Not me." insisted the more logically inclined clone.

"But you love it!" laughed Duo again. "Come on! Admit it!" The nudging with the elbow on Pi's arm clearly aggravated him, groaning with disgust.

"No, Duo." Pi's voice grew even more unpleased, given how much Duo was pushing him.

"Oh, you do." Soon, it then evolved into a playful argument between the two as they squabbled against each other.

"Do not."

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"DO TOO!"

"Ahem…" Suddenly, the immature argument soon ended as they saw Ruby Rose, fist up at her lips while clearing her throat to get their attention. As fun as their banter got, even she didn't really want to let it linger for too long. Pi just shrugged his shoulders after the exchange and looked towards the Jedi who would lead them to battle.

"Well, we're looking forward to serving you, Commander. The 187th Clone Battalion is ready to fight!" Pi announced, saluting to Ruby. The Jedi Knight didn't know why she was being called Commander. She knew the 187th Battalion was the group of clones she'd be fighting with on Igma Dun, but why was Pi called her with a title that she personally didn't think was fit for someone as young as herself.

"Commander? I'm sorry, but you must be referring to Master Kenta over there." She pointed to the Jedi Master, who was still talking to a few more clone officers by the gunship. "He's leading this assault."

"Aye. But we also have orders to follow any Jedi into battle. You look like a qualified one, so you're definitely a Commander." explained Pi. It seemed that some pride was building up in Ruby. She crossed her arms together and, as if being giddy, swayed around, bashful at the soldier's compliment.

"Well, I wouldn't say 'qualified' but…" Just when she was about to take in the glory for a while, she was interrupted by her old Master when he called out to her.

"Ruby! Come over here!" He stood there, waiting for Ruby to arrive towards him while the two officers left his side to do other errands. The younger Jedi turned back to the clones to address her goodbyes before reuniting with Kenta.

"Oh! I got to go!" she wished with full glee. "It's nice meeting you guys!" She gave them a friendly wave before running over to join the Jedi Master, followed closely behind by her droid, who mimicked her wave with his own mechanical arm.

"See 'ya down there, kid!" Duo bellowed out, even as Ruby looked away. As the two watched the young girl run off, they had to wonder about how she would fare in the middle of battle. A sweet young woman who was going to feel the full fury of war right in front of her. A girl Ruby's age wouldn't even think about going down to fight against an army of droids with so much enthusiasm. Then again, in her defence, Pi and Duo themselves weren't any better. It was the clones' first day of fighting as well. They didn't know what to expect from battling against a mechanical menace that were the battle droids or any other metal monsters which poised to destroy the Republic. "Nice lass, yeah?" Duo sighed with contempt, having been cheered up further by Ruby's shining cheerful mood.

"She's going to need all the help she can get, Duo." cleared Pi. "Orders are orders. We're going to make sure the Jedi fight their way to victory." He sat down in front of Duo on the floor, grabbing his own canteen to join his comrade for a drink; a brief moment of refreshments before finally heading off to the hellish battlegrounds of the war.

"Cheers to that." Their canteens clinked together for a toast before they gulped down the fresh beverage before their eventual deployment to combat. Ruby skipped towards Kenta while also thinking back at her brief conversation with those clones. She had never thought they'd be free enough to give themselves names and laze about before they were to be sent down to battle. She often wondered why she was finding such unusual stuff when she was told otherwise; that such things like a clone's sentience, the unlikely social life of a urusai bird or even the hard rocks of Malastare were said to be toxic when licked. Okay, perhaps it was worth forgetting the last one, but she always found herself finding out that things were not what they seemed or were told of.

"What were you doing back there?" Once Ruby arrived to her old Master's side, Kenta asked his former Padawan of what she was doing while he was talking to the clones. Ruby smiled, thinking about how her talk with the clones went.

"Just talkin' to some of the boys, that's all." Kenta looked at the same clones he happened to see talking to Ruby before he called her over. He noticed how relaxed they were, just resting against the crates like free men, perplexing him to say the least. Either way, he couldn't bother about that now.

"Well, now that you're here." he told Ruby. "We're ready to embark for Igma Dun. You ready for this?" Unaware of his uneasy perception of the clones, she was only filled with excitement over what would come next. Fists balled, she was burning up inside with the desire to make things right alongside her former Master.

"Ready as I'll ever be." she announced before looking at her droid. "What about you, Zee?" The T3 droid beeped with equal cheer, giving Ruby the signal that they were ready to head off to their first battle of the war. "Then, we're off!"

Just then, Ruby and Zee were alerted by the booming voice of the loudspeaker echoing throughout the hangar bay.

 _ **Attention! All personnel on board. We are preparing the jump to hyperspace. Stand by as we make the jump.**_

At once, the announcement triggered a spurt of activity across the cargo bay. Clones paraded to their assigned tasks. Crew workers scrambled to their stations while troopers stayed put as the ship prepared to make the jump to hyperspace. While it may had been safe to move within the gigantic ship while it was warping off to another part of the galaxy, but the beginning jumps were always rocky before the smooth cruise through the hyperspace lanes. The first time she experienced a jump, it was probably best forgotten, if only the nasty bump on her head didn't last so long to forget.

"You know the drill." Having been the one to experience the accident, Kenta reminded her of what not to do when going through a massive jump. Ruby pouted, feeling that the Jedi Master was warning her more out of amusement rather than being an actual warning. All things considered, she was wise not to make the same mistake again. She held onto Zee, crouching down to his level and holding onto the droid. While the droid was probably more used to hyperspace travel, she was still slightly anxious about these leaps into deep space. She always depended on the usefulness of safety seat clamps or pretty much anything she could hold onto to prevent another gruelling headache.

Within seconds, Ruby could hear the whirring sounds coming from all around her quickly gaining pitch; she knew they were coming from outside the ship. She could then feel the ship slowly tugging back as the echoing sounds reached its highest pitch yet, forcing her to clutch onto Zee as hard as she could. Finally, at the moment she knew it, the ship had made one powerful thrust that happened in an instant before, eventually, the ship would disappear from sight…

* * *

Igma Dun,

Pagradi System,

A lone rodent creature scurried along the cracked rocky ground, creeping along with its speedy legs across the otherwise harsh environment. Running across the edge of the cliff, it did occasional stops here and there, looking around for something it wanted. It wasn't hunting for bugs and grub to feast on. It was the instinctive strike of the nerves that drove the creature to moving away from danger. Yet, neither was it running away from predators or looking for shelter to protect itself from the upcoming sandstorms.

It was the loud booming noises of explosions of war.

Just when it was about to move forward, a rush of powerful grumbling noises swooped right above it, causing it to jump away with great fright. The moment it left, it barely missed the sudden arrival of large gunships racing over the cliffs towards the danger zone.

The armoured aircraft flew in a squadron of five ships, all flying low towards the landing zone where they would all deploy the tens of clone troopers loaded within each and every one of them, protected by the huge amount of armaments the gunships were armed with. Glass ball turrets constantly swayed from side to side as the gunners seated inside the turrets watched out for any ground forces.

Inside the main hull of one of the ships, a full squad of troops was ready to disembark from the gunship, standing straight in two lines, facing each other with their hands grasping at the safety harnesses above them. Among the troopers, two distinct figures were also preparing to leave and run right into battle.

Ruby's hood was closed up, covering her head while looking down from the feeling of anxiety. She was about to face the horrors of war for the first time in her life. All the missions, hunts and peace-keeping assignments she had been given wouldn't even come close to what she was about to face. She kept a constant pace of breathing going on, slowly inhaling and exhaling to meditate on her cautious attitude. And knowing Ruby, she had never been more cautious in her life, being the reckless adventurer who took big risks against the odds. This was going to be a whole new level of danger, with the possibility of being blasted by thousands of laser bolts, or even being blown up by explosive rounds. She could never imagine her, a young little Jedi, fresh from being a Knight, being tossed into war like this.

And to think, she was actually geeking out at all the neat stuff she saw back at the cruiser.

Kenta was just opposite her, standing in between a couple of other clones, watching her being stiff. As he had taught her before, you shouldn't become too caught up with such intensity, for harbouring such negative or emotional hesitations would become a bane to one's integrity as a Jedi. He was quick to snap her out of her trance of thoughts and try to calm her down.

"Stay focused, Ruby." advised Kenta. The younger Jedi looked up to meet her old Master's eyes.

"I-I'm fine, Master." Her stuttering voice, coupled with the mention of Kenta's former role over her, sounded a bit jumpy, scared and unsure. "Just… fine." To be honest, she knew she was anything but fine. Her droid stood right next to her, allowing Ruby to release her tension by stroking its head, feeling the vibrations of the equally fearful astromech. It had just left centuries of abandonment, only to be drenched in chaos in the battlefields of the war.

"We'll make it out of this." comforted Kenta again. "Have faith in the Force, young one." He then turned to the droid. "And you just don't worry, droid." Zee perked up, somewhat a little distressed over just being called a droid and nothing more. Well, at least he was trying to make good with assuring him like a living thing, so not much to vent out about, right?

"We'll do what we can." Ruby then tried to lighten up the mood, feeling that a good challenge might be exactly what they needed, something she had done with her Master in many missions. "How about we tally up how many droids we can score?" Those times were over, as far as Kenta was concerned…

"You know this isn't a game, right?" He had to change his voice, now getting a little more earnest with his tone. "Let's take this seriously."

"Fine." Ruby sighed. She supposed it was worth a try, but she understood Kenta's message. It was going to get a whole lot hazardous going to war compared to what they were used to before the war. She reached her hand to her back, grabbing Crescent Rose in its packed form before transforming it into its saber form. With the blade still inactivated, she stuck the rear scythe blade down in the thin metal ground while having her other hand on the safety harness.

Ruby felt herself being pulled upwards from the force of her ship going down for a landing. It was a sharp descend after experiencing a near-fall on her part. She wished she could hear the sounds, but the door panels were shut and the constant low buzzing noise of the ship's engines made it impossible to know what was going on. However, through her connection in the Force, she felt a dim sense of grim darkness in her heart, feeling for the general situation of the planet itself.

It wasn't a pleasant feeling to know that an entire planet which sported an entire civilization on its own was going to end up being bombarded all around by both sides of the war. As she was part of one of those sides, she was going to put her skills to the test, become the hero that she always wanted… No. The hero she **needed** to be.

The ship retained its normal balance, straightening back to its usual level. By that time, Ruby noticed within an instant that the thin shutters of the door panels closed in, darkening the ship's inside before a few red lights above her flashed on.

"Red light! Stand by!" One of the clones, the officer among the squad, signalled the troopers to prepare their blasters and equipment. They checked their mags and personal supplies, standing straight back up to let the squad leader know when each of them was done inspecting themselves. Ruby grabbed onto her safety harness even tighter. She had the feeling that once those doors open, she was going to finally see the reality of the violence right in front of her. Although, the first landing site was at a safe distance away from the battle, at a camp no less, she still expected to see a rather disturbing scene; the typical reaction from those unfamiliar with open conflict.

She wondered if Kenta would end up feeling the same way. After so many years of keeping the peace, the Jedi Order was once again pushed into a war they did not wish to fight. Then, as the ship slowed to a halt, the lights went green.

"Green light!" The clone officer yelled and soon after, the doors slid right open, brightening up Ruby's eyes and temporarily blinding her before her vision recovered. And at once, her first-hand look into war was there.

It was a rather enclosed area, surrounded by walls and a few guard towers erected on a few corners. The landing space she found herself on was pretty much wide enough to have the gunships land and deploy the troops. All around her, the clones jumped out all at once, brushing through the two Jedi and her droid and off onto the ground. The two Jedi then had their turn to jump out, with Zee close behind in a shorter, but still rough landing.

As Ruby walked away from the gunship, she looked all around to scan her surroundings. Clone troopers, either with or without their helmets, everywhere. Most of them were running around doing all sorts of things, mainly for the battle that laid ahead. Most were getting their orders, while some were idly standing around talking to others. She could even see a few of them getting through some blaster inspections and others carrying around supplies and crates.

Then, what she feared the most was right next to her as she walked to her destination. On the ground, she could see clones lying on the ground; all on stretchers. Some slightly wriggled around, their armour struck with blast marks all around and their faces smudged with blood and bruises. Most others however, as she feared, were wrapped up in sheets, already expired of their life. That was the one thing she didn't wish to see, despite having experienced death of some individuals before. At this scale, it was almost impossible not to feel distraught from, making the envisioning of the eventual violence too real.

"Stay close." Kenta said to her, as if he seemed to have caught on with her stricken look. Ruby refused to break after seeing the wretched sight of soldiers dying and focused on moving forward, not going to look on and see what she dreaded most. The two Jedi made their way through the troopers running around and headed to the forward observation post overlooking the fields.

As they climbed up, Ruby could see the command centre where all the strategic planning and tactical management was being run. Command consoles surrounded the centre of the uncovered room with a holographic table in the middle with clone operators managing all of them, with a few more looking at the holographic simulation of the battlefield with their fingers pointing about. At the other end of the room, an officer stood above an observation balcony, with his binoculars up to his eyes, watching the vast plains from afar. Ruby could see the terrain once she stepped onto the balcony, seeing the barren wasteland that was, thankfully, the natural environment of the planet itself, untouched by countless cannon fire and open bombardment. Though, somewhere out there, the rocky terrain was already being decimated by amounts of firepower, fortunately not close enough to the base.

Ruby, Zee and Kenta walked towards the officer. Upon hearing the footsteps, the clone lowered his electro-binoculars and turned around to meet the two Jedi. He stood straight, hands behind his back for a formal welcome and prepared to tell Kenta of the word on the front.

"General, sir!" he called out.

"What's the situation?" asked Kenta.

"We've breached the outer defences and are preparing for another charge against the droids, sir." reported the officer. Ruby walked past the clone officer to take a better look at the scene in front of her. Listening in quietly, she could hear the low, rumbling noises, soft yet violent, coming from afar. From the horizon, the mushroom clouds of smoke were trailing much higher than she thought. suggesting a very grim scene of endless bombing runs or artillery fire. It didn't matter whose side it was; the intensity of the blasts was enough to send shivers down everyone's spine. Was this really the nightmarish scenario the clones were being pushed to fight in? But worse still, this was only the beginning.

"Well, let's not keep our boys waiting." Kenta affirmed, not wanting to waste time stalling the troops to charge up and take the offensive. He was content that the battle was being won, but nothing was for certain. Even if he hadn't been through war, he was going to give it all he had, based on other slightly similar missions before his time training Ruby. "You ready for this, Ruby?"

Ruby, however, was completely fresh with this whole war thing, unsure about what to expect. For the first time in her time as a Jedi, not once had the thought of survival taken such a toll on her quite like this. She was always so adventurous, so daring that she hadn't thought about being killed in the line of duty before. So, right now, when the stakes were finally higher than ever, she couldn't avoid the possibility of death, and it was haunting her ever since she was given the chance to take part in the action. Her mission to rescue Zee at Iego was no exception; it still involved battle droids that could have spelled her end at any moment.

This time, it was a real battle to fight in. There was no running back and she wasn't sure her old tricks would even work. There was no diplomatic solution to approaching a means to an end; it was already all weapons free from the moment she'd step into the field and all guns will be blazing at all corners. It was like being in a very deadly trap where there was no way she could ever leap out of. Nevertheless, it was still her duty as a Jedi to fight to protect the peace of the galaxy, no matter how dire things got. She supposed she was going to have to face the reality head on. She had been trained to prepare for the unexpected; to take things on with a focused mind-set on making things right for those affected by the crises she would face.

With her saber still unfolded with her grip wrapped around the hilt, she prayed to the Force that she would do her best to fight the enemy with all her strength and concentration. Her saber would protect her as it had ever since she built it with perfection. With a firm nod, she let her old Master know that she was going to become a greater Jedi through this battle and then some. She was already a Knight, so she was going to prove it by being the best she could be.

"Let's do this." Boldly making a stand against her fears, Ruby confidentially declared her decision to take the fight to the Separatist Alliance.

* * *

"Take cover!"

 **BOOM!**

The ground shook in a shattering blow as dirt flew up, spreading around in a large radius while taking a few troopers with it. The explosion immediately finished them off, prompting several others to either take their place within the firing line or to pick up the fallen bodies on the ground. As bodies were littered, the replacement clones took up position behind the dirt mounds that formed the trench that offered very little protection against the artillery fire being pounded upon them.

At the same time, blaster fire was being exchanged from one side to the next, culminating in a firestorm of bolts that zapped against anything they could hit; whether they'd be living or not. Clones were being pelted with red laser bolts, being hit in all places which would eventually kill most of them. Blue bolts were fired back upon the enemy installation ahead of them, with the objective of seizing the enemy outpost that stood between the forces of the Republic and the Separatist main base.

There was no standing up to rush over the vast open space that was no man's land; a blanket of completely unexposed terrain which was to be the death of countless soldiers forced to ascend forward to charge against the defence bunker on the other side. The building had an open slit from across the front, allowing a heavy blaster manned by a droid to fire its blazing rounds all over the clone forces. In addition to the numerous battle droid formations swarming and marching in front of the bunker, it was also flanked by at least five larger droid walkers, built like virus cells with their three legs made like a tripod holding up a bulky sphere that also had a rotating mechanism in between the sphere and the legs, with three cannons built around it that each fired a heavy laser once aimed at the clones.

The combination of heavy and rapid firepower raged upon the clones was enough to disrupt their battle formations, forcing them to dive down in the trench; one of many stretched across, forming a miraculous network of deep entrenchments that partially protected the troopers as they ran around fighting back at the enemy.

Then, from out of nowhere, another explosion; this time penetrating right into one of the clone walkers at the back of the frontal trench. The six-legged walker sank down into a burning wreck with metallic shards and other pieces flying rapidly around and violently like shrapnel, threatening to pierce through the armour of the clones. The clones all dug down deep, pressing their bodies against the dirt mound or other wall-like structure they could find. With all the havoc and chaos going around, one would falter at the slightest instance of a deadly explosion or the multiple deaths happening around him or her. Yet, for all the violence and destruction going on, the clone troopers relented, not once looking back to retreat out of cowardice or even any rational sense. They held the line without question, firing back and moving in to fill in for those who had sacrificed themselves for the Republic. They were ordered to hold on for as long as they could until the arrival of reinforcements could probably help turn the tide to their favour.

The offensive line, no matter how strong, was already thinning after an hour of a stalemate. Clones were dying by the tens each minute, and for each clone killed, twenty more droids were totalled. The battleground was becoming a graveyard and a junkyard at the same time. Despite the total casualties,

Fortunately for the clones, help was on its way, soaring down to reinforce the battered offensive. Republic LAAT gunships arrived just in time to give the ground forces a much needed boost. Just before they reached the zone, they let loose their full arsenal of weapons against the droid armies. Laser cannons fired with ferocious speed from the dual cannons at the front of the ships, while the ball turrets on the sides fired away in a stream of continuous laser fire. Both of these were enough to shred right through the battle droids, breaking through the lines while they aimlessly shot back up. Missiles were then fired from the pods on top of each craft which then side winded all the way towards the droids and the walkers. Upon impact, the barrages struck clear against the enemy, blowing up a few of the enemy walkers and lots more of the battle droids.

With the burden possibly slightly lessened, the gunships moved in to land more clones to the battlefield. Once hovering just slightly over the ground, the gunship doors all opened, where one of them deployed the troopers out into the open. Blasters immediately drawn, the clones fired upon the enemy with the utmost urgency. Right behind them, two more additions to the attack were about to jump down. Just as the last of the troopers came down, Ruby Rose was already starting to feel the pressure of finally heading for war. She saw the disastrous scene before her and the fear came right at her. She could already see the bodies all over the place, with loud explosions and voices by the clones dying and hurting everywhere around her.

She didn't feel like stepping out to follow the Jedi Master and take the gunship back to base where she could be safe with Zee, who had to be left behind. However, that would be selfish of her to leave Kenta to fend for himself. She had to muster up the bravery to face the challenges of conflict. While the Jedi Master raced to join the clones in battle, Ruby took up all the courage she could to jump out and follow Kenta to the fray. She jumped out of the gunship and followed him to the end of the trench, braving the chaos all around her.

"Come on!" one of the clones from the same gunship shouted out to order the troops to charge along and take fire. The dirt flew around like mini pebbles slapping her face with each explosion near her. Ruby wanted to dash with her super speed powers, but all in her mind was running to safety. The booming noises hindered her ability to think straight, focusing on the dirt mound Kenta eventually found. "GO, GO, GO!" Another shout out from the clone commander and Ruby quickly threw herself on the ground, right before a barrage of lasers seared right above her.

The lasers soon found their way towards a few clones behind her, killing them instantly. Ruby turned around to see the now deceased bodies tossed around and falling to the ground; one of them landing next to her. She stared into the now hollow husk of armour, limping motionlessly in front of her eyes. The now dead soldier gave the young Jedi all sorts of reasons to feel sorrowful. Seconds into landing on the battlefield and she had to bear witness to the first fatalities of her time in war. Despite not being exactly pure beings, the sight of dead bodies on the ground was still enough to scare the girl. If this was how she was going to face the battles ahead, then it was not going to be any easier for sure.

Ruby had to shake off her unrests and frightful feelings aside. She had to accept the fact that she was going to face more deaths every single time she would fight. This was to be expected; these were nameless, unknown clones who still died fighting for what was right. With that mind, she sharply looked away, focusing on what was important. Yet, what she saw next was a little more unsettling. The overwhelming number of droids was an even larger concern that she couldn't properly challenge herself to take on. The droids were marching by the hundreds, firing all at once upon her with no intent on stopping. This mechanized nightmare was about to stomp all over them if she didn't do something.

"Time to get to work!" Kenta was next to her, lying the same way before rising up and igniting his lightsaber to engage the enemy. As soon as his blue blade turned on, the lasers were already hitting him, forcing him to deflect the shots. As the barrage was heavier than before, he had to pour in a lot more focus and energy into his defensive stance. He stood with his two legs spread out slightly for increased stability while his two hands gripped tightly to the hilt. He let himself feel the Force warning him through each incoming shot, but the intensity of the storm was almost too extreme even for someone as composed as he was. Perhaps this was how war was going to feel like for an Order which had not fought for over a thousand years.

Ruby had to follow behind and activated her blade and rose up to join her friend on the defensive, spinning her blade to block off the bolts. As two Jedi were now helping to provide cover for the surrounding clones, they hoped the attention would be diverted to them as they would be more serious targets to take out. The younger Jedi had to concentrate as hard as she could to push back the counter attack.

The two Jedi continued to stand their ground, swinging their sabers and repulsing the projectiles back and forth, giving the clones much needed cover to resume their own firing sequences. The droids fired back, pouring all their firepower upon the Jedi and the clones while being blasted upon by the combined might of the Force and heavy barrages of clone fire.

Kenta took a good look at the tri-droid walkers stomping closer to the line, rotating their cannons around for each barrel to shoot forward at them. Eventually, one of them stared down directly at the Jedi with its red beading electronic eye before firing another powerful blast that aimed right for him.

"Look out!" Ruby sensed the danger that posed, confirming her suspicions when she saw the walker aim right where Kenta was. Immediately, she quickly spun at top speed and caught the Jedi Master before the laser passed right through them. The ensuing explosion ruptured another Republic walker behind them, bringing with it another few clones. Ruby dropped down on the floor, lying on Kenta as she finished her dash and saving her old Master's life. The two finally got back up, still crouching down to avoid the attacks from above.

"Thanks, Ruby." Ruby wanted to smile back for helping Kenta from being obliterated by the tri-droid's cannon. However, she couldn't find the time or mood to even grin. The battle was only just beginning and there was no time to find some joy in her rescue of the Master.

"This isn't looking good, Kenta." she worriedly stated, still letting the gruesome noises of war get to her nerves. As always, even when he was under pressure himself, Kenta did her best to console his former Padawan.

"As long as we maintain this position, we can pull this off." Kenta assured the young Jedi. He wished he knew more about fighting in such heavy conflict to help with her fears, but he himself was not in any better situation. Despite his resolve to fight with the best he could fulfil, he was almost as uncertain as the next Jedi, among thousands who were also in the dark of fighting a full-scale war. The only recollection of the past he had was a few missions involving small-scale insurgencies in some other planets, using some of the experience to at least gain some insight. "We're going to hold out until the gunships can take out their walkers. Once they're done, we can charge up and take out that bunker." Ruby didn't like the idea of jumping out after having Kenta nearly blown to pieces. So, she held onto hope that the droid walkers would be shut down before they could move up and take the chance to punch a hole straight into the enemy base.

As anticipated, in the skies above her, a squadron of gunships flew low and made another strafing run with their weapons, decimating more of the walkers and thus weakening the defences. The triple-legged walkers fell tumbling down like an animal hunted down by poachers, with their metal bodies crashing down, broken apart and on fire. The clones all looked up to see that the battle droid formations were all but scattered, without a stable means of order and formation.

While the droids were out of structure to lead them forward, they were pretty much ineffective and started to practically stall and not do much to react to the clones. The counterattack has therefore been weakened, giving the clones the opportunity to make their move.

"They're taking hits! Let's move!" ordered the clone officer. At once, the whole section of clone troopers moved on out, jumping out of the trenches and raced forward, blasters firing all the way. The Separatist army shot back, but with their lines slightly broken, the clones could run forward with less intensity and be able to reach their objective.

"That's our cue!" Kenta shouted out, prompting him and Ruby to join the clones in the assault. The two Jedi raced forth ahead of the troopers, using their sabers to shield themselves from the lessened concentration of firepower from the droids. Running across the rugged terrain in such a hurry was a little difficult for Ruby, since she wasn't used to fighting in an open field before. She had to watch her step every once in a while in the hopes she'd reach the next cover through the droid wreckages. Around her a few more clones were hit hard by blaster fire, forcing her to keep her sights straight to protection before the next move to the bunker just a few miles away.

The two of them reached a fallen tri-droid in flames, hiding behind it before the next barrage of lasers stormed the area around them. Their backs against the burning wreck, they waited as some other clones herded together alongside them to wait for the moment to move up and take the bunker just a few more feet away from them. Ruby had to take in deep breaths after narrowly making it to safety from her sprinting. She mentally thanked the Force she made it out alive from this one. She had a lot more to do afterwards, but at least she was able to progress so far.

Suddenly, she was joined by two more clones who came running towards her and Kenta, flanking them both behind the wreck. Ruby couldn't see who the clones were, but once they saw her and spoke, immediately realization hit her with relieving comfort.

"So glad to see you, lass!" The wild, energetic greeting of the clone was fondly remembered by the young Jedi as the happy-go-lucky man known as Duo. So, that meant right beside Kenta was none other than the more logically-inclined Pi.

"What's our next move, Commander?" Pi asked Ruby, corresponding to the plan to follow the Jedi through this battle. However, nothing really came in mind from the inexperienced young lass.

"Uh…" She was still so entrapped in the unsatisfying events that she didn't know how to formulate any way to move forward. It all happened so fast that it didn't really help to come up with any of her 'creative' ideas on how to move around the enemy as she had always done before. Soon, it was Kenta who had to give out the orders, seeing to what may had been the concrete way to attack the bunker.

"Stay close." ordered the Jedi Master, looking at both clones who listened in. "You two, find a way to flank their position and lob a grenade in that bunker."

"Right away, sir!" Both clones responded, checking the energy charges in their weapons before getting ready to move out. "Ruby." He then turned to his partner, who finally snapped up with comfort knowing that Kenta would be the one calling the shots for now. "We'll provide cover for them. Let's run out and protect them all the way."

"On it!" Ruby complied, also crouching up to get ready and jump over to get caught in the quagmire again. This time, she had an idea on how to deal with the machine gun nest just trying to get a lock on them. Just stick to Kenta and they could both defend the clones against the gun, for two lightsabers were better than one.

"Move!" At first, the Jedi leapt forward and prepared to take the heat, while the clones waited for a while before following along towards the bunker. Immediately, upon laying their eyes on the structure, the gun turret immediately fired upon them, manned by a battle droid who took aim at the Jedi and let it rip.

They had their sabers up and let the bolts fly into their plasma blades as they deflected as many as they could. Ruby hoped that at least one of those deflected bolts fly right back into the bunker and take out the guard, but the rapid fire forced her to block off at random directions. Kenta was more focused on the task he had given, intent on just helping out the clones as they rush up to take out any droids inside.

While the Jedi distracted the droid gunner, the pair of clones ran right up, splitting up from the wreck and headed to the bunker on both sides. Other than the gunner, they had to worry about the rest of the battle droids all around still firing upon them and all other clones in the vicinity. They had to take out that bunker before more reinforcements arrived for the enemy, allowing the clone army to move forward and set up a closer position to attack the base close by.

Ruby and Kenta were still protecting the pair of clones, blocking with their sabers and side-stepping when the heat proved too much to handle. Pi and Duo were already halfway to the bunker, taking cover behind multiple rocks and wreckages and firing back at the battle droids on their way there.

Ruby looked at her left after hiding behind a rock to recover and saw that Duo was firing from behind some debris. She was going to move out and help him out before the heavy blaster would get him in its sights. After breathing out from her rest, she jumped back out and resumed blocking out the droid attacks from him. Kenta did the same when Pi was almost close to the bunker. The two Jedi slowly moved forward as the clones were both nearing the target building while still having the energy blasts pelting them down upon them. The blocking continued for a little while more until the clones were both already close enough to throw in their grenades into the bunker.

Pi and Duo were able to reach the base of the bunker, with only the walls of the bunker protected them from the blaster turret now, but they still had to watch out for droids attempting to flank them, waiting for the Jedi to arrive and help them further.

Ruby and Kenta were still stalled behind trying to get the battle droids off of them. Duo could see the struggling looks on their faces as they grew from tiredness and losing concentration. He wished they could go out and help them, but he was held back by Pi. Orders were orders and they had to take out the bunker, so they must perform the task so the Jedi could move and then help them. Unfortunately, Duo was never the patient, diligent one, choosing to go out and help them anyways.

He stood up, about to rush to the aid of the Jedi until he was pulled back by a hand to his shoulder, dragging him back down to the ground.

"Duo!" shouted Pi. "This isn't the time for heroics. The Jedi can handle themselves. We have to get this bunker blown up."

"But they need our help!" argued Duo.

"We cannot abandon the objective! Get a grenade up there." Duo wanted to shout back, but given how close they were to completing the objective, he had to concede and prepare the grenades. Maybe Pi would have done it himself if he hadn't been the one specialized on military communications. Carrying that big radio pack proved to be major handicap if the carrier was equipped with explosives, thus making the idea of avoiding any accidents all the more important.

Duo groaned before moving his hand over the three thermal detonators clipped to his belt. As he was about to unhook one from the pile, he heard a low rumbling noise that was completely audible from all the other sounds on the battlefield. Then, following those vibrating sounds, another very loud cry came from one of the clones near the bunker.

"Artillery!" The call was almost enough to spur the clones to disperse and retreat at all directions. Even the Jedi were alarmed by the callout about a few enormous lasers raining down on the ground. Pi and Duo were about to run back and take cover…

 **BOOM! BRAMM!**

It was too late. The lasers came down and blew up the area around the bunker, seemingly engulfing the two clone brothers in a deathly blast of multiple explosions. Most of the clones who were able to escape the blast ran back, some of them even going as far as the trenches. Some others, however, weren't so lucky. The two Jedi were able to run their way to safety as well, but turned around with the majority of the other clones to fight back after the shelling lasted for about ten seconds.

"No…" Ruby was looking back at where the clones once stood. As the dust clouds became bigger, so too did her fears of knowing that no one could have survived a direct hit like that. She grew distressed over the safety of her comrades, holding onto hope that they had at least survived the blasts.

"Ruby!" She was snapped out of it by Kenta again, pushing her to forget about what had happened and told her to move out. "We have to move. Now!" After clearing her mind, for now, she reluctantly followed his command, moving up and heading straight to the bunker to have another clone finish the job. However, just as the clouds of dust settled, she could see that the bunker had been decimated by the artillery strike. She wondered why the Separatists would sacrifice one of their own defences to the enemy, whether it was out of desperation or if the Commander of the enemy was being too arrogant in reducing clone lives. Either the case, the enemy had done the objective for them, allowing the clones to push forward.

While the Jedi and the clones moved up to pass the bunker and reach the base, Ruby slowed down to look at the destroyed bunker. From down at the ruptured structure, she hoped to see the fate of the two clones she had befriended. When she finally laid her eyes on what had happened to them, she was able to see two bodies on the ground, both leaning against the wall of the bunker.

Looking closer, she could see one of them moving slowly. She recognized the clone not wearing the heavy radio pack as none other than Duo, who was fortunate enough to live through the storm of artillery fire. The battered clone took off his helmet, exposing the face of the bald-headed man. He seemed hit very hard from the explosions as evident by the signs of dizziness on his face. He shook his head before turning over to find out if his friend had survived as well. Pi was in sight upon having his vision cleared; his body leaning motionless against the bunker. Duo went over to check on his condition, desperately wanting him to be alright after the heavy bombardment. As soon as he laid his hands on Pi's shoulders, the clone did not respond.

"Pi?" He shook him, trying to get Pi to wake up. Alas, all that happened was his head wobbling from side to side, not responding to Duo's calls. The awakened clone was now starting to panic from the lack of any response, shaking Pi's body even more frantically. It was beginning to become clear to Duo, and Ruby for the matter that something terrible had happened. Ruby looked on in terror as the clone's cries grew even more frightened and shaken. "Come on, Pi! Don't leave me now!" She felt her own body shake as Duo kept on calling out to his teammate to no avail. The grief-stricken clone took off Pi's own helmet and his fears were confirmed. His own brother looked mortally ill, almost unconscious and close to death. "Come on!"

At that point, Pi began to cough up, his voice almost silent when he weakly opened his eyes to see his comrade crying out, cradling him in his arms. He reached out to Duo's face, hand trembling like a quake and his voice barely heard amongst the gasps for air. It took all of his remaining strength to speak out to Duo, painfully bringing out the horrible truth. He was in too much pain to carry on…

"Duo…" whispered Pi. "I-it's… Fine." After coughing one more time and a gasp of air… His hand limped down. His head fell back with his eyes closed and lips opened narrowly… breathing that final breath…

"No…" Duo feared the worst. His partner was no longer breathing and his body was as lifeless as the corpses and droid wrecks around him. "You can't die!" Still holding onto Pi's body, he desperately looked around, yelling out for help. "Corpsman! CORPSMAN!" Even with all the frantic calls for assistance, Ruby knelt down in tears, urging herself not to fully cry. She didn't want to accept what had happened, nor did Duo. But it was clear to her that nothing could be done. The body was there, not moving one bit. Duo's pleas for a miracle only worsened the atmosphere, culminating in the deepest fears of the Jedi Knight of ever witnessing the fate of someone she knew… She did not want to even think about it, but it was all too real…

Pi was dead… and it was the most hurtful event she had to witness in all of her life.

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**


	13. Loss in the Times of War

**Just in time for another chapter! We're about a few months away from the new Solo film and I'm going to go all in on writing more chapters for this story and beyond!**

 **Reviews**

 **Guest 1:**

 **That is the reality of war, my friend. Yes, it can be won with good fighting proficiency, but in context of a story, it's always important to know your inner self, to find your true calling. Jaune needed that push to find his own inner warrior, and Pyrrha was the right person to praise him for his efforts for a change XD**

 **FeartheKnown**

 **That's one heck of a rhyme XD Great idea too :D**

 **Cy Man**

 **Yeah. I can't afford to make any changes to the story yet, as it might clobber things up. Thanks for the support, though.**

 **Also, I am considering about upgrading Ruby's armour for later chapters. I'll probably start drawing out ideas and seeing if I can make them happen in written form. I also have a deviantArt account, so perhaps I can upload something for a guide.**

 **Guest 2:**

 **The Grimm are in the story, but I'm not going to use them yet until much later. In fact, I'm trying to find something for them to do in this story, but I'm close XD**

 **Guest 3:**

 **Again, Grimm are not going to appear yet, but Ozpin will turn up soon. And for Blake, since I've made Semblance like some belief or aspect in the Force, she will not have any of it of the sort. She is a non-Force sensitive and is well-trained as a hunter or assassin, plain and simple, for now at least…**

 **ShadowMann**

 **It certainly does, doesn't it? XD Hope you enjoy more of this story too!**

 **For favourites and follows, I really want to thank matthew242424, NightshadeCanis and Piggyslayer1235 for giving this story a shot! Hope you guys enjoy the next chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Loss in the Times of War**

Igma Dun,

Pagradi System,

After her first brutal experience on the battlefield, Ruby Rose had finally taken her time to rest. She was finally sitting down after a harsh day's fight against the droid army of the Separatist Alliance, within the safety of the walls of the forward command centre alongside the astromech droid she gladly left behind to avoid a terrible fate.

However, no amount of relaxation and peace and quiet could ever relieve her from the horrors she had already witnessed first-hand. Indeed, after a millennium of preserving the peace and stability of the galaxy, the Jedi were once again plunged into a drastic conflict, and among the young minds who were heavily affected already, Ruby Rose was one of those hit the worst.

Many would never guess that young Rose would ever be sent to fight a brewing war with the rest of the Jedi Knights against an enemy so dangerous. She was always the bold and adventurous, not to mention a little too extreme. She would easily pick fights with those who she thought were vile or at least, uncooperative, thus leading her to confrontations that were mostly reckless yet proved to be her way of solving problems. Now, however, she was nothing but a broken wreck, faced with what was to be the gruesome reality of war. Her fears all but realized when someone she knew, although as brief as it was, die right there, in front of her own eyes.

But even if she had just met the clone called Pi, she grew to like the idea that she could actually get to know a clone through a proper interaction between two living people with emotions and feelings. So much so that when Pi died, she was actually heartbroken. Not only did she have to watch Pi die, but it also sparked much graver concerns about who else might die. And among all the people she deeply worried about the most was her old Master.

"Ruby…" That Master was right next to her, just arriving after reporting to another Jedi Master on the field who was in the middle of accompanying the clone army in the move towards the enemy base. Nightfall had already engulfed the area in a calm darkness, only tarnished by the ongoing flames of the past battles in the distance. Seeing that Ruby was being damaged inside by fear and dread, he had attempted to assure her that war was never going to be this easy. In fact, he himself had to fight something bigger than he had ever faced. Honestly, he didn't feel any easier when trying to fight on. He had to rely on his training and faith in the Force that made him move forward with the damning conditions. It wasn't easy to fight his own dread against conflict like this, but for his former Padawan, he had to be as strong and composed as possible.

However, his attempts to calm Ruby had been met with endless sadness from the fresh Knight. The pain of seeing a friend get killed was more than enough to send her shivers down her spine with mourning over the loss. It was even worse when she thought about the other surviving clone of the pair.

Even if she only got to know them twice so far, Ruby understood the unbreakable bond between the two clones, Duo and Pi. Just by watching those two interact with each other was all she needed to know that even a pair of clone troopers, born to listen to their superiors and fight without any hesitation or remorse, could still be regular people too.

"I can't believe… he's gone." she silently stuttered, thinking about the moment Pi was lost. Unfortunately, her sentiment was not shared, to an extent, by Kenta. A single sigh left his mouth, unsure of how to bring Ruby out of her depression. He had to tell her, though, that it was how things were going to be. She was trained to expect the worst out of situations and move on. Though he knew he might upset the young Jedi Knight, it was going to be for the best. The only thing to do when death comes was not to mourn or miss, but to rejoice to those who have passed on, no matter how pure the lifeform, it was only natural that everyone would die at some point in their lives. The clones did so, fulfilling the mission objectives to see victory was there for the Republic.

"That clone did what he had to, Ruby." said Kenta. "He sacrificed himself to save us."

Upon hearing Kenta's unsavoury words, something built up inside of Ruby that had never surfaced for a long time. She was boiling hot in her body, trembling at the ungrateful attitude her old Master decided to put on. Her fists clenched and she was about to lose her patience, something she grew to prevent.

She was getting angry…

"CT-3142 served his duty, and we have to do ours."

And that was the final blow…

"His name was Pi!" Suddenly, Ruby finally erupted, sending Kenta into a state of shock. Her voice grew louder and angrier, glaring straight into his face with all her resentment over how steadfast his response was towards the death of a friend. "I don't care if he had some ID number! He was a living thing! Flesh and blood, and he's gone now!"

Immediately afterwards, the anger quickly subsided when she realized how much rage she was building up from that one outburst. She gasped, standing back away after unintentionally letting her emotions run wild and be shouted at by the one person who taught her to suppress such feelings. Once she regretted her actions, she couldn't help but let a few tears down, hurt that she had gotten herself into that state of uncouth attitude.

"I'm sorry, Master." she apologized, once again, habitually call him by what he once was to her. Kenta sighed after witnessing her sudden flare of rage, but as always, he had been a bit disappointed that Ruby had become affected by her own grief that she almost lost herself to the potential risk of falling out of touch from her lessons. However much he wanted to make her feel any better, he just couldn't let the role of father figure stop what was meant to be a harsh learning experience. By the Council's standards, each Jedi must learn to overcome these problems on their own. Now that Ruby was a Knight, she had to find solace on her own.

"Calm yourself, Ruby." advised the Jedi Master, saying nothing more to allow Ruby to grow on her own. "It'll be fine." The advice was greeted with some doubt by the younger Jedi. But out of her bafflement of his tone, she expected such from him. Now, she knew she was already at the stage where she herself must learn to do things by herself and not depend on any more of his teachings. Still, it was still not easy accepting that she had to accept things the way they were. Sniffling just one more time, she stood up and turned around, wanting to free herself from any company to cool off.

"I'm going to get some air." And just like that, Ruby walked off, leaving Kenta to just nod. It wasn't the right way to allow her to meditate on her aggressive emotions, but it was a small start to how she was willing to move out of her comfort zone and find other ways to find her path. Still, it left Kenta with something else to say. Though, he had to keep his voice low to keep her from hearing him.

"If only you knew, Ruby…"

* * *

After leaving Kenta behind to calm down, Ruby walked on to find Zee and spend time with him. She felt that it would have not been the right way to get over her anger, but this time, the right way was not the thing she needed right now. If she was allowed to make her own methods as a Knight, then having Zee for company was all she had to take.

The droid trailed alongside her, watching her head being sunk down with sadness. The girl didn't sulk or sob; there was only a silent moment of grieving and loss, not knowing when she would ever snap herself off from her thoughts.

She wondered why the Jedi Order would even agree to entering a conflict they never wished to fight in. If things were as disastrous and destructive as this, defying most morals of the Jedi Code, then why did they even decide to send themselves to become involved in this gruesome war? Everything they had taught to their younglings and their Padawans, advanced by the Knights and enforced by the Masters, all of that was seemingly being pushed out of necessity to bring the Jedi to a long, sufferable conflict.

It just didn't make that much sense for her. Was this going to be the end of a Jedi Order committed to peace and justice for all? Why were they so willing to defy their ideals to be part of the chaos? These were questions that she didn't really feel obliged to ask to any of the Masters, especially her own. After seeing the horrors for herself, everything was stirring up like a wild storm in her head, just giving her all sorts of nausea and confusion that pained her.

While she may had subsided her rage earlier, the heat was still ripe in her face, with flushes of red evident on her cheeks. Her body bent forward with her arms crossed together, trying to soothe her own grudging stress. In an attempt to cheer her up, Zee rolled in front of her and tried to get her attention by beeping on and on, cracking up some joke to make her feel better. Ruby still didn't put up as much as a grin, still frowning in uncertainty, which in turn upset Zee as well. Supposedly, there was nothing much he could do to cheer her up and so, decided to roll with it.

So, for a while now, Ruby was still idly walking along the command centre, with the battles now much further from where she was which made it feel a little bit safer than before. However, the angst still lingered. She passed by clone after clone, thankfully not getting any attention to herself. She didn't really feel like talking to any one of them if they ever did notice her sadness, which made the slight ignorance a little bit assuring. Maybe some lone time with Zee was exactly what she needed to get over her anxiety for the war. She hoped that by the time she did lose her worries and stress, she would finally return and forget the whole thing with the horrors and deaths ever afflicted her.

But then, that all was to be for naught…

Ruby stopped in her tracks, Zee followed suit. In front of her, she could see a familiar face, leaning against a barricade, alone. The clone had his helmet off, revealing the face of whom Ruby didn't really have the courage to face. She could see the bald-headed trooper looking all down and pondering; a hint of grief and sorrow that she anticipated all too well from him.

She wondered to herself at that moment if she would just go there and talk to the clone. After all, she did hope to not see the clone so soon for fear that he would be too upset to even look at her. Still, her instincts began to shake her up and suggest otherwise. He might need another friendly face to find some solace, but it all depended on how much he was grieving over the death of his fallen brother.

Eventually, she had to push herself forward and try to talk to him. She had to eventually meet up with him, considering that he was serving in the same division assigned to her and Kenta. Duo needed someone he knew who could finally break his depression after the disaster inflicted upon him. Ruby didn't want to see Duo be this upset throughout the entire war. Every soldier had to have a reason to fight, and if Duo couldn't find it, then who knew what would happen to him. She didn't know how clones were dealt with when it came to falling out of action like this, but if Duo was to be sent back to wherever he came from because of treason, then she wouldn't live it down to herself. She had to make an effort to do something that she could stand up to him for.

Thus, after getting over her own grief, she went over and tried to converse with Duo. She walked over to him with Zee, slowly taking strides to approach the sad trooper. As she closed in, Duo was still looking dim and uninterested. She then gave it a try and called to him, hoping he would listen.

"Duo." Her voice was soft and quiet, yet displayed a bit of hesitation. She still forwarded herself and talk to him, walking a bit nearer. The clone then turned his head to see Ruby, looking at her with the same saddened face. As Ruby looked, she did seem to feel that his expression was somewhat… less sorrowful than she thought. "

"Hey, lass." Duo responded, smiling sadly at her. It looked like he was taking it a bit better than originally perceived. Yet, Ruby needed to be careful with her approach, going slowly with her conversation.

"Are you okay?" she then asked him. Duo just nodded.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." He rubbed the back of his head before standing up to get closer to the Jedi. He then laid back to the barrel next to Ruby, lying quite the same usual way he would. Ruby found it a little curious, but a bit uncomfortable with how he was lying with very little sign of care. Not letting that bother her, she continued to talk to Duo about the loss of his brother.

"I'm sorry about Pi." She brushed her foot back and forth, hands tied behind her back with an apologetic look. "I wish I could have done something to save him." For her abilities as a Jedi, she could have used them to save the two from that artillery explosion; dart off and grab the two and tossed them about before speeding off back to safety again. She really wished she could have tried. Unfortunately, the battle droids kept her from getting anywhere near her comrades, forcing her back and leaving the two to become bombarded by loads of blasts from the enemy. Ruby thought to herself; how could she have been so weak to protect one life, let alone letting two being bombed down.

She fiddled with her fingers, expecting a response from Duo to express the pain he was going through. She was getting ready for the emotional storm that was about to be unleashed upon her, distraught over losing the one person he loved so dearly, like a real brother. The clones looked inseparable, unable to leave the company of each other for a split second and fighting alongside each other. It was almost as if their bond was like a lifeline that once snapped, destroyed both of them, killing Pi and making Duo a grieving wreck. She practically blinked at the thought of hearing him scream out his heart for everything that had happened.

Everything she failed to do.

But then, as horrible things got, Duo had a more curious outlook on it all.

"There's nothing you could have done, lass." Just like that, he had just made an attempt to comfort Ruby instead trying to help himself. The fact that he had decided to be okay about sort of… perplexing. "I've got to say; he was one heck of bastard to have not completely die from that blast." Worse yet, he actually scoffed a joke with a chuckle. She didn't know why he was being so coy about it. Shouldn't he be devastated by such a loss?

"But… Pi. He's dead." she squeaked, confused to the point of bafflement.

"I know you're seeing war for the first time." "But I guess that's just how we're going to be anyway."

"How can you be so calm after all of this? Pi was like… your brother! How can you be alright with that?!" Ruby exclaimed, beyond baffled about how easy he was taking it. She often hated to remind herself about sibling losses… especially since she also lost one herself…

Her confusion was heartfelt and especially loud. It didn't take long for Duo to realize how sincere her feelings were towards war and loss. If anything, he already thought that she valued lives as much as he and every single clone around him. The Jedi served for the same purpose, which made Ruby come out as completely devoted to the fight to save people. However, it was like she was hoping she wanted to save everyone, even troopers. As Duo came to know throughout his time in the training and simulation courses back at Kamino, it was the soldier's duty to save lives, and die to protect the Republic.

To Duo, Ruby didn't even need to care that much about the troops. It was what they were trained for, after all. He picked himself up to head on over to let Ruby know of what he felt was the right thing to do.

"Trust me, lass." He stood in front of the Jedi, towering over her. "I didn't really want it to happen, too." He spoke with such confidence, yet with much understanding. Duo needed to show Ruby of what being part of a band of brothers was about. "But Pi did what he was meant to do. To put his life on the line to make sure we advance and help the needy on this planet." He crouched down to meet her on even height, remembering the commitment he and all the clones bred and sent to the battlefield for the greater good of the Republic.

Ruby always wondered why clones had to be pushed into service without any thought or choice. And when clones do express feelings or act like actual living people, it was made all the worse when she thought about them losing their brothers or even being hurt themselves. The screams of agony by those around her were constant reminders that the clones did feel pain or far worse than what she liked to hear. Massacre was the only word to describe the deaths of clones against a menacing machine force.

"But didn't you ever…"

However, as Duo explained, he was quite prepared for doing such a daunting task. He knew what he was getting into when he entered the war alongside thousands more of his brothers into battle. There was no denying on what was happening in the galaxy; war was tearing it apart and he was willing to do whatever it took to see that victory was in their hands. Die as they might, they were devoted to fight on.

"In fact, I think that's what every single soldier in the Republic has to fight for. Clone or not. For us, though, it's what we were born to do."

At that moment, Ruby had stopped her tears, listening to what Duo had said to her. She had long opposed the idea of sending men and women to die on the fronts of war, holding on to the Order's belief of peace and non-violence. Then, however, these clones were beholden to their own belief; that their contribution to the war effort was the necessary option to defeat the Separatists. They were already created knowing that they would fight with all they had, and they would feel the pride of helping to preserve peace and freedom. It was the mandatory path of the trooper, and now, it was needed for all who fought for the Republic.

"It won't be just for Pi. But for all of our fallen brothers. Their sacrifices will not be in vain." added Duo. Ruby had to think through for what she had felt about Pi's death or the entire war. She knew it was never going to be any easier when it came to fighting the enemy. But the one thing she could do was to get through and help win this war for the Republic and the galaxy. "You okay now, lass?" The Jedi wiped her wet cheeks after nearly lashing back in anger after the reaction Duo had given earlier. Her thoughts had changed, now that she was feeling a little bit better in knowing that no matter what, a clone trooper must fight for the perseverance of peace.

As long as the Jedi were devoted to the same cause, then they too would have to do their best to fight alongside the clones, both working together to defeat the Separatists. In more than one way, they were both aiming for the same goals and, as she just realized, using the same methods or strategies to see through the conflict.

If clones like Duo were ready to give their lives to fight for the galaxy, then it would probably be for the best, knowing that they would end up saving more lives in the process. She couldn't expect to save many since it was always told to her that death was only natural in the circle of the Force. If the clones were going to die, then they should do so, fighting for the cause that should protect and win for the Republic.

Finally convinced of what Duo stood for, she could stop feeling guilty and upset about herself. A grin showed how much she was willing to understand of that cause. She could now see how the clones wanted to see their side win against the mechanical forces of the Confederacy. The droids fight dirty, then the clones would fight back even dirtier. And that was the way she'd like it!

 _ **Attention! All troops of the 54**_ _ **th**_ _ **Battalion, please report to your stations!**_

The alarms went up, echoing through the hall and immediately triggering the same alerted response from all the clones of the same maroon stripes as Duo, around them. As they ran around past the clone and the Jedi, they picked up their weapons and boarded the gunships to move to their stations.

Tensions rising, Ruby knew exactly what she was going to do now. She was going to pick up that lightsaber and lead the soldiers to battle. To the ends of the galaxy, she would take the challenge head on, as she had always done before. No thin, fragile bucket-of-bolts was going to bring her down, or Duo or Kenta. The Republic would prevail today, and then, tomorrow.

"Let's bust some clankers." Fierce and with the same energy she would normally give out, she clutched her saber tighter and her faith in the Force enhanced for victory. Duo brought his hands hard with a clap and an excited cackle, notifying his own enthusiasm towards Ruby's renewed resolve.

"Now you're talkin'!" The two then rushed off to join Master Kenta back to the field, ready to squash some Separatist scum and free the planet. For peace… for freedom…

For Pi…

* * *

The salvos resumed soon after. The clones swarmed across the hills around the flat plains that had the large military complex built over the land, herding the droid armies into a tight squeeze into defensive positions in their base. They were just about one step closer into finalizing the overall operation on the planet's liberation from the Separatist invasive grip.

However, elsewhere, further away from the offensive against the main installation, another battalion of clones were facing another brewing issue of their own. While the enemy was being shelled all around back at base, reinforcements were well on their way to jeopardize the attack. Far in a valley of rock formations and cliffs, the 54th Battalion was being stationed within the canyon, defending the path that would lead to a chokepoint that was well exploited by the enemy long ago.

The defensive line was stretched throughout the canyon, with at least five walkers holding the most exposed ground, set up behind a line of built obstructions and armed clone troopers watching closely at the other end of the valley. From an observation post built up on a rock mesa, a lone Jedi Master crouched down alongside some other troopers and his former Padawan.

Kenta had been looking to his pair of electro-binoculars for a solid few minutes, not once swaying away from the horizon. Ever since he put them on his eyes, he had not seen anything emerging that would pose any threat. He patiently scanned the area for the supposed arrival of more droid forces marching towards their location. Other than that, he personally wished Ruby was just as calm.

Though relieved that the young Knight had managed to get over her trauma and grief, Kenta didn't really like how Ruby was constantly tapping her fingers on the rocky ground due to the constant mixture of impatience and anxiety aggravating her nerves.

In her defence, Ruby couldn't resist being fidgety for the next wave of action she was going to throw herself into. The initial battle she first participated in was still weighing the Jedi down. Fear and panic consumed her almost to the point of a major breakdown. But with all her passion and understanding of being a Jedi coming back to her, she had taken a huge step forward in facing the reality of the troubles to come.

The tapping of her fingers only greatened by the sheer excitement that was still befitting to her character. Perhaps the previous mission on Iego had given her a taste of the thrill and bombastic wonder of fighting a full-grown army. The previous battle that cost Pi his life only pulled her down to depression, weakening that exhilaration to fight the droids here on Igma Dun. Regardless, she chose to keep her optimism at an all-time high. It was a battle that she had to win to bring the Republic one step ahead of the game against the enemy, and she couldn't afford to lose her focus on this one.

Right behind her, Duo was also waiting for the moment to move out, helmet on and weapon fully loaded for this occasion. Ever since his brother had died, he was willing to get some much needed sweet revenge on the droids for his death. He had his finger coiled around the trigger, ready to shoot the first droid that comes to contact. Despite his urge to shoot, he had to pull back from doing anything against his commanding officer's orders. He was to wait until the word was given before firing. Lucky thing nothing was in sight… yet.

Then, as if on cue, Kenta zoomed his binoculars in closer to the opening of the canyon. What appeared in his visor was the unwelcoming but not unexpected presence of a line of battle droids coming over the uphill. It was then followed by another line of droids, and then another. Sooner or later, the droid formations made it very clear that this was the set of reinforcements that were called upon to storm the defensive line. With the standard B1's approaching, they were joined by another line of the larger, bulkier B2 super battle droids that formed the heavy firing team of the formation. If reports were to be confirmed, there was much more where that came from. Expect a few tanks to back up the infantry, Kenta thought, after studying the Separatist battle strategies for the course of a month before his first deployment.

"Those clankers will do a lot of damage, sir." reported the clone officer who was also observing the incoming attackers with his own visor. "They'll will tear right into our attack force behind us if we don't stop them." After his surveillance had seen it all, Kenta lowered his binoculars. He held his chin in thought about how the clones were going to counter this formidable threat.

"We'll need to think fast if we're to eliminate those droids." stated Kenta.

Duo went to work right away in finding that method to help the clones make a stand against the might of the incoming army. He looked around his surroundings and scanned for the defences that they had at their disposal. The AT-TE walkers stationed far away from each other with huge gaps could give some much needed firepower to the enemy. The problem was that, through comparison between both sides, there wasn't enough walkers to keep up the balance once the guns start firing. Most of the walkers deployed on the surface were already concentrated on attacking the enemy base, leaving only a fraction of the armour to defend the chokepoint.

However, if there was a way to clear up a large army of droids, then some explosive force was needed to obliterate them all in one or a few blasts. Such a feat would require the force of a full carpet bombing run within a concentrated area that could engulf the entire army, or at least cripple them enough for the walkers to finish them off.

Then, looking above the droids, Duo spotted something that might just do the trick against the droids. Above where the droids were about to approach, he could see the cliffs of both sides come together as two edges, pointing at each other like a broken bridge. The rocky points were almost thick enough to prove deadly when being thrown down onto the ground.

Maybe enough to…

"Hmmm…" That was when Duo had an idea. "I think I know a way." Everyone was now paying attention to the clone, listening into what was about to be suggested.

"Speak your mind, CT-2222." The officer gave the go-ahead to let Duo have his say.

"See those rocks up there?" He pointed up to where he found the cliffs, causing everyone to follow along to his direction. Duo then continued to explain his plan while they looked on. "I suggest we give those cliffs all the firepower we can get. Once we blow them up at just the right point, they could come down and topple those armour down while they're right below them."

Ruby certainly loved the idea. One, she was about to witness an explosive surprise that could put an end to this whole ordeal with the enemy. Thankfully for her, Kenta also approved in a rare case of mutual satisfaction over the tactic of bringing down the cliffs and crush the army down before they could arrive.

"Sounds like a plan." agreed the Jedi Master. "Have the walkers fire on the cliffs and it'll be one heavy downpour."

"No can do, Commander." The officer shook his head with reasonable rejection. Unfortunately, there had to be one killjoy among the group. It had to be done, though. It was one thing to enjoy the thrill of explosive action, but another would be to avoid getting yourself killed. So, no one really argued back. "Those droids will start firing at us as soon as they get in range. We need our walkers to fire back if we're to loosen the burden on us."

Luckily, Ruby was already a step ahead of the plan. If she knew anything about plans like these, it's that there was always a catch that forced her to think other ways to see them through.

"Then how about someone get up there and use some explosives?" She suddenly spoke up, catching everyone off guard. The sudden focus on her sort of startled her. She didn't really expect anyone to pay any attention to her, honestly. Then again, now she had to go on and hope everyone was in on what she was about to say. Her previous plans on missions before hadn't been the brightest when it came to execution, which kind of forced her to sit back and listen. But that didn't stop her from trying… "Someone can sneak up there and plant the charges, blow them up and away it'll go." Immediately, Duo had delivered his opinion of her idea. It was probably given that he would agree to such a bold plan.

"That sounds like a crazy plan." Though, for him to use the word 'crazy', it was presumably too much even for him. "Crazy in fact, that might just work!" Never mind.

 _He was all in_ , she thought. But now, what would the two superior leaders around her say about it? The officer took time to consider the option, but time was something they did not have. Kenta seemed to know this and, for once, of all of the crazy schemes his old Padawan had concocted over the years, this one seemed to be feasible. What the officer said next summed up his thoughts on the situation.

"I suppose we have no other option." The clone conceded. Ruby and Duo could have high-fived, if they weren't in the presence of their superiors. "Alright, CT-2222. Think you can climb up there and give the old heave-ho?"

"I'll prepare the explosives, sir." Duo enthusiastically complied, eager to knock some boulders down on the droids. When he stood up, he checked his blaster again, making sure that nothing could go wrong with it during his mission. "Just let me up there."

"Granted." When the plan was greenlit, Duo set forth to prepare some detonation charges from the nearby crates and embark towards the cliffs before the droid army reached the fall zone. However, Ruby didn't really like to see Duo volunteer to do something so dastardly and so daring on his own; not after what happened to Pi. She got up herself and picked up Crescent Rose, walking toward Duo with intent on following him.

"I'm going with you." However, she was stopped by Kenta. The Jedi Master had to stop her from getting close to another individual, especially on the line of duty. In addition to not forming bonds, he had to remind her that a mission was at hand.

"No, Ruby." asserted Kenta. "You need to stay down here where we can hold the line long enough to keep them at bay."

"Not this time." Ruby was not going to relent. Duo was going to take the biggest risk of the battle, but she was still not going to let him face the challenge alone. She understood how much he was willing to sacrifice to win this fight. It was just that maybe it was better if she followed along and provide much needed assistance that would let him go through with the mission a lot better. "I'm going to help Duo set the charges on the other cliff. The chances of him getting up there might be better if I go with him." Duo couldn't help but feel glad the lass was standing up to herself to join him on the risky climb to the top. However, Kenta wasn't very easy with Ruby's decision. For one, he thought he needed the Jedi Knight to stay behind so he could try and mould her resolve a little, following what was right for the Jedi Order.

However, the Master had one thing he had to remember. She was no longer a Padawan. She was a Knight, trusted to make her own decisions and venture out on her own. There's no doubt that she was able to prove herself able to handle on her own from her mission on Iego, plus sometimes she was capable of finishing what they both did as teacher and student when they were forced to be separated. Incredibly enough, they were all successful endeavours, no matter how bad things got for them.

"Please, Kenta. I know what I'm doing." Now that she was knighted and fully ready to fight, this was probably the time for the mentor to let the student put herself to the test. Once again, he had to let her go and grow stronger by herself, so she could become a proper Knight. Finally, Kenta decided it was best to do what needed to be done. She wasn't going to be his student forever, and he obeyed the Code with the best understanding and loyalty.

"Fine. But please make sure you get down here if I need backup." Ruby smiled, but not with the usual overjoy. Instead, she did her best to give out a softer, but more grateful expression to show her appreciation of her Master's faith in her abilities. Just a simple nod of head and a cheerful smile was all she gave. She'd also be sure to comply to Kenta's requests for aid when need be.

"You got it." The Jedi soon turned around and joined Duo to their hike up the cliffs and set the traps. "Come on, Duo."

"Right away, Commander." Like a loyal soldier, Duo complied, picking up his backpack filled with the sticky charges needed to blow up the cliffs. The two then walked out of the observation post, moving while crouched down just in case the laser show started early.

Kenta watched as his former Padawan ventured off on her own once more. He prayed to the Force that she'd do just a great a job as before, while also hoping she wouldn't become too engrossed in the adventure which might had attracted the enemy's attention to her and Duo. As her old Master, he was faithful and only hoped for the best of her abilities to come out on top, and he was always proud of her whenever she did perform.

"Some fiery Padawan you got there, General." commented the clone officer in a sense of amusement that Kenta found quite surprising. He knew clones wouldn't be so thoughtful about mostly anything, but hearing this one praise Ruby's fire in her heart was a little uncalled for. Maybe Ruby was right. Perhaps clones do have their hearts set on whatever they felt like fighting for. As for his comment on Ruby, Kenta felt the rare need to correct with cheer before the guns would be fired.

"She's not a Padawan anymore, soldier."

* * *

Minutes had passed and still, not a single shot was fired. Duo was just about to finish scaling the cliff when he took a good look at the droid army just a few miles away from the defensive lines. It appeared that they had stopped to get into position before they could move forward and fire their weapons.

 _Good_ , he thought. It would give him and Ruby more time to reach for their intended destination and prepare the explosives. From there, they would wait for the right time for the droids to move just enough for them to deliver the maximum effort and crush the very centre of the battalion and decimate their offensive power; block off the remaining droids behind the rocks and expose the very few at front.

The top of the cliff was about a few more grabs of the edgy rocky surface. It was already a tiring few minutes since Duo had begun his ascension. He then took notice of his Jedi companion who was just behind him from the start.

"You holding up back there, lass?!" he shouted, expecting an answer from below him.

"Take a guess." But then, instead of being below him, Ruby's voice came… from above? A good look upwards and lo and behold, did the odd sight of the Jedi who was just behind him suddenly appear right before him on top, smiling victoriously as if she had won a race.

Duo smirked. "Sneaky little…" With the last of his strength needed, he pushed himself forward and rose up to the top. Ruby gave him a hand and pulled him up to his feet. Finally, the two were above and ready to move out. The Jedi took a good look at the ground down below her to see the building army of droids getting in line with their weapons all pointing right at the clone forces and Kenta.

"Okay. The droids are about to start their attack. We better hurry up and get these charges set." said Ruby, adjusting the strap was around her shoulder; her weapon latched behind her back. Duo didn't really know how this little girl could carry such a big weapon on her back for so long. If he knew the answer, then he would be impressed by how the Jedi were trained to endure such burdening challenges.

"Easier said than done, lass." countered Duo, deciding to shift into that exception of going for logic instead of the usual antics. "If we're spotted up here, we'll be bantha fodder."

"I can whip up a few Force tricks to get the job done, with or without the element of stealth." assured Ruby with her thumb sticking out to note that everything would be A-Okay. Shrugging his shoulders, Duo was convinced that the young Jedi could pull it off.

The clone felt the straps of his bag slightly slide down from his arm. In a panic, he quickly caught the backpack from falling off his arm and avoiding the amount of explosives from tumbling down to cause a major accident. Good thing Ruby didn't catch him stumbling…

He did, however, catch her attention as the Jedi turned around to narrowly see Duo picking up his backpack. She sighed after being relieved that he had prevented a disaster from happening. Then, she began to notice something small falling from the clone's pocket, dropped on the ground with a mixture of clinging and minute rattling noises. While Duo adjusted his backpack up, she closed into to the shiny metal object that fell from his pocket.

She crouched down and saw the object, being a pair of metallic disks tied to a chain. She took a closer look at the plates as she dangled the chain so she could see the engraved writings on them. There read all sorts of numbers and some letters, forming some arrangements of identification codes; all neatly carved with the shiny metal surface of the plates. But then, when she looked at the topmost line of words and numbers, she immediately recognized what they meant.

 _CT-3142._

"Are these…?" Ruby muttered curiously. Once he positioned his backpack properly, he turned to find her holding the pair of dog tags that once belonged to his fallen brother, realizing they dropped from his pocket. Showing it to him, the clone's face turned a little sorrowful afterwards. Every time he looked at those tags after his brother's death, he was reminded of the pain and sadness he had to go through when the tragedy occurred. It kept him quiet for a while, thinking about all the times they had together and the troubles they faced. The bond they formed as a birth right became the strongest and most powerful thing they had ever made, making them stronger as they fought on. Now, with Pi's death, a void threatened to destroy Duo from the inside. Without Pi, he was half the clone he was.

"Pi's dog tags." He nodded sadly, closing his eyes in acknowledgement. When he opened his eyes, he saw Ruby's face turning the same way. Inside the Knight's heart, the guilt had come back to haunt her. Again, the drilling thought of her being unable to save Pi was still hurting her from the inside. Duo noticed her plight and immediately tried to comfort her. "Now, don't feel bad again, lass. That ain't gonna help you."

Thankfully, Ruby decided to look away from the past and moved on. What's done was done. Now, she had to focus on the present and the future. A galaxy free from war, and it'll all start on this planet.

"I'm good." Her resolve reignited, Ruby wiped away her sorrows and prepared to move forward to help make sure that Pi would be respected through rejoicing over his passing from the strife. _Mourn him, do not. Miss him, do not._ She listened to Master Yoda's own teachings over her own losses and applied them to the current situation. There was no room for regret or remorse. There's only peace for the fallen.

"Well, we better get this over with." Duo walked forward with the explosives in tow. "I would hate to lose this one to the boys back home."

"Lose what?" asked Ruby, curious as to what more stakes Duo had been faced with from this battle. This time, it was a little soberer and gleeful, like a bright memory. Faced with loss, he could only muster a small, gentle smile, in contrast to his usual wide grin. It was a story he was all very glad to tell Ruby.

"We made a bet, actually. With the other clones back at Kamino." Duo remembered that little gathering back home in the clean and white and black walls of the corridors of the facilities on Kamino. Just a bunch of relaxed trainees, fresh from simulation running, fooling around in a casual conversation of bets and dares. It was all just for laughs, meant to keep the boys going throughout their tough days in training. But when faced with the reality of combat and war, those dares became goals. "We wanted to see who could survive long enough to see the war's end." Back then, things were simple and slightly harmless, unsure how long they would it be until the day they would be sent for battle. "And Pi…" However, out of the bunch who decided to fool around, the one clone Duo hung out with the most, made the stabbing deal that pushed him forward to this day.

"He betted on me. Pi would have wanted me to fight on." The memory of that day was perhaps the most eye-opening for Duo; being selected to survive and win ahead of all the boys. It not only cemented the faith and brotherly love between them, but it also became the motivational point of Duo's own capabilities in times of war.

Ruby smiled softly at the heart-warming story of the two, but also felt kind of sad knowing that without Pi to complete his half, he had to fend for himself without someone to support him all the way. She hoped, however, that someone could. She didn't know who; it could be another clone. Maybe it could be her. However, as most things in life, when something or someone plays an important part of your life, they could never be replaced. Despite the Council teaching her to let go of anything she feared to lose, she did understand that those who were not under the teachings of the Council would be under a lot more emotional backlash upon losing that precious person or belonging.

"Let's get going." Duo manned up, deciding to finally stop mourning or thinking about the past and was willing to see the end of a mission to carry on to victory. He stepped out and moved towards the cliffs to get the mission going. Ruby followed behind, equally motivated to help Duo find his place and reinforce his devotion to help defeat the enemy.

* * *

Kenta and the clone officer accompanying him were both down at the frontal trenches of the defensive lines. Their weapons were already in their hands and were about to face the droid army. Any moment now, the enemy was about to march forward and finally begin their attack. They were not going to hold back now; the battle was about to start and the defences were about to be pushed to the limit. Through the Force, he could feel it calling out to him, warning him that the enemy was about to move and fire. He ignited his saber, ready to fight back.

" _HERE THEY COME!_ " On cue, with the loud howl of another clone in the distance, the droids started firing their weapons, poised to end the threat of the Republic, once and for all. The laser fire spread across in an instant, shearing right through the clones. To Kenta's left and right, troopers were being shot down one by one while firing back at the more numerically superior enemy. His saber was swung back and forth, deflecting the shots as much he could. When he felt that he couldn't take the heat, he would duck down and catch a few breaths before resuming his defensive position.

After the infantry droids marched forward, the tanks rolled in, firing back with their heavy cannons. The clone walkers rotated their own upper cannons, blasting away with their frontal cannons at the front droids and blowing them up alongside the barrages of clone rifle fire.

Kenta ducked back down to rest after blocking off enough of the firepower. He had watched the droids coming closer and pinpointed on the location where he waited for the droids to approach. Right where he timed the arrival of the droids in that location, he then looked to the line of clone troopers behind him. They had been waiting for the right time to fire, saving their weapon fire until Kenta ordered them to let lose all their firepower. When that time came, Kenta swung his arm down, signalling the clones to fire.

The clones pulled the trigger almost all at once, firing a streak of blue lasers right at the battle droids. The weaker droids took most of the hits while the super droids took lighter hits. While the armour was still intact, Kenta hoped that enough of the infantry was broken down so the walkers could focus on the tanks.

Even as the guns were decimating the droid army, the enemy numbers were still overwhelming enough to compensate for their linear programming. Kenta's role in leading the battle was still crucial to the Republic's defence and the sight of the Jedi directing troopers to the front made him a prime target for the droids' programming. The closer they'd get, the more at risk he was from being directly hit by the enemy. He had to depend on the Force driving his senses to handle the growing weight of the enemy, but even that wasn't enough.

He ducked back down again to avoid the quagmire that was trust upon him. Looking up at the cliff where Ruby and Duo were supposed to be. When he did not see anyone atop, he had to wonder what was taking them long to reach the target. The droids were getting closer and closer to the drop point and they had to be there in time for it to happen.

 _Patience_ , he had to remind himself. There was no point complaining out loud now. He had to await and hold out a little longer for Ruby to get the job done.

"Those two better bring that cliff down. If those clankers pass under them, there's no stopping them." the clone officer shouted out. Kenta was going to put all the beliefs he had on Ruby, knowing well that no matter what the danger, she would handle them the best way she could.

"Whatever's holding you back, Ruby, I hope you're dealing with it properly."

* * *

Once the two adventurous pair had arrived on the point, they had the two edges of cliffs where they would prepare the explosives. Ruby looked down below the battlefield and watched as the droids closed in on the defensive positions and thus, the point of her little scheme with Duo. Thankfully, none of the enemy had reached the point, which meant she had a suitable amount of time to get the charges across the cliff.

"Okay." After Ruby took in a deep breath, she and Duo got to work. "This is it. Now, let's get these bad boys loaded before the droids get through." The two then quickly ran to the edge of the cliff where they began setting up the charges. Duo knelt down while Ruby dug into his backpack and grab the first bunch of explosives. She then ran to the side of the cliff to attach the first charge on the wall below her; sticking the hemispherical-shaped bomb down to where it was vulnerable for collapse. She then continued to stick more on the surface of the cliff itself, placing more and more in a line until the other side. This formed a line of explosive bombs that would break the cliff apart and eventually turn it into a heavyweight wrecking ball of sorts down on the droids.

Once she was done setting the charges, Duo stood back up and the two ran for the edge which pointed right at the other cliff edge on the other side. They took a good look at the distance between themselves and the other side. Ruby smiled after observing the distance between the cliffs. It was good enough the distance to make a powerful jump to the other side so she could get the rest of the explosives done and finally, prepare to detonate them to end the battle by bringing the house down.

"Okay. I just need to leap over there and set the rest of charges. Hand them over, Duo." She flipped her fingers back and forth while stretching her arm out, expecting Duo to toss one over.

However, instead of a solid bomb, she suddenly felt something else entirely. Sudden panic…

 **BWARMMM!**

From out of nowhere, the two were shocked by the sudden sound of a blaster bolt firing right at them. The shot missed them, but the clear indication that something or someone was firing on them put their instincts on high alert.

A second after the shot was fired, Ruby looked down the cliff again. She could see that the army down below was still firing at the Republic defences. So, it clearly wasn't that they were detected by the enemy below. She wondered what could had possibly found them up on the cliff. Seconds later, her answer came forth in a wild, unwelcome way.

Clanking noises were heard from behind them. They sharply turned around to find that they were about to have some rough company. From out of the cliffs, three new figures jumped right out and landed on the ground to meet them. They were battle droids, similar in design to the standard battle droid, but they were built with more complete bodies, making them bulkier and more menacing looking with their more terrifying facial construction. Yet, even with a heavier build, these droids were surprisingly more agile and moved around like acrobats, deadly assassins with a blaster held like a pistol with one hand. They all stared down on the Jedi and clone like a pack of predators after their prey.

"Commando droids!" As Duo feared, the arrival of more powerful and speedier commando droids had just complicated the mission to a whole new degree. Ruby had to spur into action, transform her weapon and ignite her saber. She jumped at front into Duo's defence while the clone, packed with explosives behind him, had to be extra wary so that the droids did not shoot his package of deadly force.

Duo had heard of these notorious BX-commando droids through rumours spread from some of the boys who had returned from the very first fronts of the war. How they would jump all around you like a swarm of mad mouse-like tooke creatures, all while firing their weapons with more precise aiming and dizzying dodging skills to completely overwhelm and thus, destroy their targets.

Seemed that the tales were true; the commando droids were leaping about, from side to side, and backwards. Their directions were random and unpredictable, making it hard for Ruby to deflect their shots back and for Duo to shoot them down. They fired their weapons even while they were hopping mad, and yet their aims were almost spot on. Ruby could have sworn she felt her saber block off every single shot fired upon her. Duo was doing his best to predict where each droid would end up next, but their jumps were so sporadic, all of his shots barely made a scratch.

"Darn it! Didn't think they thought this one through!" Duo cursed at the thought of droid intelligence already a step ahead of the game. To be fair, however, he had to be more insulting towards those glutinous Separatist leaders who made the droid armies possible. There was no time to point fingers at whoever was at fault with his predicament; he and Ruby had to deal with the mission to destroy the army down below.

It was a lot more difficult with the involvement of the commando droids, forcing the two to get stuck at only the first edge of the cliff. They had to move to the other side before the droid army passed the point of the rock fall. The rapid fire was pinning them down, stopping them in their tracks. Ruby couldn't possibly move forward to engage while Duo had his explosives behind him, not wanting to risk exposing him to another commando. She had to find a way to get him out of the firing zone and get to the objective to save the day.

Then, she had an idea. Again, a crazy idea that only Ruby Rose could think of.

"Get ready!" she yelled out to Duo, spinning her saber to block off three shots at once with a powerful swing. One of them managed to hit a commando droid, knocking it down. However, it was far from out as it flipped itself back up and resumed fire. The droids kept their distance to avoid physical contact with the Jedi's weapon, but began to push them back towards the edge so that they could probably surround them at their breaking point to either make them fall or just limit their defensive capabilities. Ruby, however, knew what to do.

"We're already being pounded out here!" cleared Duo. "What do you mean, 'ready'?"

"I'm not talking about the droids!" added Ruby. Duo didn't know what she was up to. All he did was look back to how much further they were until the very edge. All he could hope for was to jump over to the other side, but as a mere clone, he knew he couldn't do it. Only Ruby had the power to do it.

And that was when he realized something…

"Oh no." All of a sudden, he had the idea of what Ruby was planning. And he didn't like where it was going. "You're not going to throw me there with your magical powers, are you?!"

"Do we have a choice?!" asserted Ruby, clearly not kidding around this time. Although, she did crack up something to at least give some fun thought for the trick to work. "Besides, it'll be fun!" Duo looked back again, ducking down to give himself more cover. He had to think if this was such a good idea; being tossed out with bombs in his backpack. If he didn't stick the landing and the bombs hit the ground, it could all end up being blown up on his face. Or rather, his whole existence entirely. Then again, given the predicament, as Ruby said, did he really have a choice?

"I'm so going to end up in the med bay for this." Finally, the clone had to face the inevitable. He had to get those bombs onto the cliff before the droid army got through. No pain, no gain, he supposed. He trusted Ruby, even if he had only just met her a few times. He had to; there was no objecting the word of a Jedi Commander, whether her plan was going to fail or not.

He positioned himself, ready for Ruby to do whatever magical wonder she was going to do. Ruby saw that Duo was waiting for her to thrust him forward and land him across the cliff. She had to fend off the droids enough to break free of the firepower that was forcing her down. She spun her saber around to reflect more shots before finally throwing her hand out to unleash an invisible force that pushed the droids back. All three commando droids were thrown away by the force of the push, freeing Ruby of their punishing distraction.

Duo almost gulped in horror after witnessing the power of Ruby's push, fearing for his own life. But it was too late to turn back anyway as Ruby turned around and gave him a powerful push on himself.

"WHOAAHHH!" The clone was sent careening over the gap and towards the other cliff. Duo's arms swivelled around like a baby bird trying to fly, and his body spinning round and around as he was being thrown across in the air. When he was sharply coming in close to the other cliff, he braced himself for the worse, or what was worse than worse, or whatever may happen to him. He suddenly felt a full halt of his body, now feeling nothing but air all around him. Finally, when he opened his eyes, he saw the rocky ground below him. His body was floating right above the ground with no sign of falling. He was just levitating with the help of some unknown force.

From the former cliff he was on, Ruby was holding him right in place, using both of her hands to keep the clone afloat with the most strength she put into her mind. Boy, was he heavy; she was lucky that he wasn't too much of a heavyweight. After stopping Duo from crashing into the ground, she slowly moved her hands around to adjust him to his feet and finally lower them down to gently put him down. Once Duo was safely standing on his two feet again, she finally let go, releasing the tension of using the Force on him.

Duo stepped down in a stumble before perfectly standing straight. Thankfully, he was able to keep his balance and save the bombs in his backpack. Now that he was on stable ground again, he gave Ruby one good thumbs up before heading over to plant the bombs and finish the job. He reached for his hand to reach the first bomb he could use to start.

Back with Ruby, after a moment of heavy concentration, she had to breathe in to soothe the slight migraine in her head after lifting Duo in the air. However, she had little time to relax; she heard the sounds of clanking and electronic whirring behind her. She spun around to face the three commando droids, still active and moving in for the kill. Ruby had her saber on again and was ready to face the droids with all she got.

 _I'll take you bucket heads on_ , the challenger had come forth to take on the task at hand, grinning with anticipation. Her light, silver blade shined down, burning brightly and threatening to sear right through the metal bodies of the droids. She then saw the droids head perk up a bit after seeing that she was getting in her position to fight. Suddenly, they did the unthinkable.

Ruby could have sworn she saw the droids withdraw their blasters behind their backs. It would seem like after seeing that she was not going to give up, they decided to just give up and run. Unfortunately, Ruby knew that was never going to happen. These droids were going to end the Jedi once and for all, and they showed their deadly purpose by reaching out their backs again to pull out a sword-like weapon. Knowing that these droids were nimble assassins, Ruby had to be very careful fighting three droids wielding swords, at once.

They came forward all at once, surrounding Ruby with their swords ready to be swung at the Jedi from all sides. She bided time, standing with her body arched forward and her hands gripping hard on the saber. She looked on all sides, eyeing the droids and waiting for them to make the move so she could react. They crept around her for a while, still attempting to find the right moment to strike.

Instead, however, it was Ruby who made the move first, jumping forward to engage the first commando droid she saw. She swung Crescent Rose at the droid, but the droid easily dodged the move with a jump backwards. Soon after, Ruby attempted to charge at it and spun her saber trying to catch it. The droid jumped around and enjoyed very close calls with her blade, shifting from side to side. After going a few rounds with her, the droid then went in to attack her by lunging its blade forward. Ruby managed to spin away from the strike, but that left her vulnerable to the other two droids. One of them moved in and kicked her at the shoulder, knocking her back. She vaulted back just in time before another droid tried to slash her down while she was kicked. As soon as she recovered, she was now faced with the three droids now together in a cluster. They spread out in a line before the middle droid came forth and went on the offensive.

This time, Ruby was not going to allow it to bring her down, letting it launch forward at her. She swayed her body to one side, and then after another swing at her, she stepped to the side. Immediately, another droid moved up to attack, which she avoided as well by dashing to the side again. When the third droid charged at her, she stood her ground and used the scythe at the end of her saber to hook together with the blade. With one powerful spin, she swiped the sword away from the droid's hand before eventually slicing it at the torso. The droid was split into two pieces from the strike and fell to the ground.

One down, two to go. The two remaining droids moved forward to simultaneously attack Ruby. The two swords ran right together in a cross that Ruby caught by locking the saber hilt itself against the two blades. Thrusting the saber up, she then spun it around before giving the second droid one nasty cut, decapitating it while also kicking the last droid down.

The droid backed off after being left on its own against a Jedi who easily wiped out its droids. Ruby felt like she could take it down just like the rest, moving to intercept it before it could make any move. The droid shifted around in its usual fashion, now programmed to operate in a different set of tactics now that it was fending for itself. It jumped around trying to hit Ruby while also slashing metal blade against her bright plasma one. The two blades clashed like an actual lightsaber duel, part in thanks to the lightsaber-resistant alloy that allowed it to withstand the cutting power of the Jedi's weapon.

Eventually after a series of blocks and misses, the two finally locked blades. Ruby expected to swipe away the weapon and finish off the droid, easily cutting it down. However, suddenly, something called out to her. Like a tingling ring in her head, she quickly moved away just in time to avoid being punched at by the droid's free hand.

She flipped backwards just as it was about to draw its blaster and fired upon her. The shots were fired and Ruby went to blocking off the projectiles and eventually deflecting one that shot off the blaster off its hand.

Then, Ruby stood still. She didn't want any more surprises from the commando droid; no sucker punches or nasty tricks. She waited for what it was about to do next. And then, it did make another new surprise. It grabbed what appeared to be a thermal detonator from its hip and proceeded to toss it at her. Panicked, Ruby quickly moved out of the way with no time to even act. The droid grenade was recognized as an impact grenade that would explode right after contact. She rolled away as the grenade landed on the ground and blew up, nearly catching the Jedi.

When she stopped, the droid unhooked another grenade and lobed it towards her. She dashed out of the way to avoid it, barely missing it again. It was then followed by another few more that were thrown at her and all exploding near her. After each toss, she was soon worn out from the numerous grenades thrown at her. The worst part was; the droid had a few more where that came from.

The droid had another grenade, ready to be tossed. Finally, acting quickly ahead of instinct, a crossed Ruby Rose soon decided she had had enough. She pushed her hand out to unleash her Force powers again. This time, she then clenched her fist and pulled it back to her shoulder. The resulting power eventually caught the droid in a firm grip and was sent flying right towards her. As the droid was about to reach her, Ruby gave her weapon one heavy swing of her saber. In a loud grunt, she severed the droid in half, putting an end to the tirade of troubling menaces.

The two halves of the droid crashed right behind her, getting them closer to the edge. Unfortunately, unknown to Ruby, the force of the crash was strong enough for the grenade in the droid's hand to be thrown off and being sent hurling elsewhere.

Ruby panted after the strike, tired from all the fighting and dashing against the three droids. She never knew fighting a bunch of droids would be this difficult. They certainly gave her a run for her money, exhausting whatever strength and concentration she had to finish them off. There was almost time to make a grin on her face, satisfied from taking on three hard warriors and winning.

 **BBOOMMM!**

"AARGHH!" Suddenly, she heard a loud scream, almost too familiar after a shocking explosive noise made her jump. Instant panic ran through her as she recognized where the scream was coming from. After she gasped from terror, she ran right to where it may had come from. As soon as she arrived, her worst fears came true.

"Duo!" Right there, in front of her very eyes, she was horrified by the sight of Duo, hanging on for dear life with his hands virtually hooked onto the rocky side of the cliff. His feet were dangling helplessly in the air as he hung on desperately after the explosion that might have rocked him off. Ruby tensed up, hoping that the explosion didn't injure him. She cursed at herself, knowing that the explosion was due to the live grenade that was still in the last commando droid's hand before she destroyed it.

Unfortunately, she couldn't be any more right. She could see that after holding on with two hands, Duo was forced to clutch onto the right side of the stomach, groaning in pain. The pained groans were faintly heard even amongst the sounds of battle down below.

Speaking of which, Duo himself turned his head to face the battle down below. The droids were already right below the cliff, looking like little mice on the ground. Duo knew he was going to end up a dead man if he let go, judging by the distance between him and the ground.

However, falling to his death was the least of his concerns. At any moment, a battle droid could possibly look up to see a clone, dangling helplessly on the cliff and have the rest commence fire on him, easily taking his life. It was a hopeless situation, as he thought he wouldn't have time to climb back up to safety. He hated to think about it, but there was only one thing to do right now. He knew what he had to do.

He still had the remote device on his belt. With his free hand, he grabbed it and gripped it tightly. It was the only thing that could set off the charges that he and Ruby had placed on the cliffs. There was no other way to get out of this. Looking at the remote device, he was almost ready to push the button and finally end this torment once and for all. He didn't care if he was to die like this, but he would gladly take his own life after considering what his sacrifice would do to turn the tide of the battle.

"Duo! Hang on!" He could hear the desperate cries from Ruby right above, on the other side of the cliff. He saw how panicked she looked and how she was reaching out her hand as if to use her abilities to save her. Duo couldn't bear to look at her in the face when he was faced with plight on his own. He had to be strong; he had to look up and show her that signature Duo grin, even if she couldn't see underneath that helmet of his.

"Don't worry, Commander! Just get out of here!" There was no time. The droid army was about to pass the point and if he didn't pull the trigger, everyone would be in dire trouble. This had to be done… "Remember what I said! This is what I was born to do!"

Ruby could feel the devotion in Duo's voice. Her fists clenched in response to the sheer determination of the clone to do whatever it took to save the Republic army. She couldn't help but shed tears from having to leave the one friend she made in this hellish battle. She wanted to go down there and save him. She could just jump over and save him, getting him up from the cliff and bring him back. Ruby could prevent another death of a friend.

However, when she saw the battle droids coming in close, already passing the cliffs, she knew if she stalled any longer, the clone army, and Kenta, would be overrun. The battle could have been lost and the Republic would lose a much needed chance of liberating the battle. She looked back at Duo and knew how many lives he was willing to save at the cost of his own.

Finally, after looking through the scenario, she finally gave in. Fighting her emotions, she knew that it had to be done. Duo was going to sacrifice himself to save the day. Standing up, she ran off, reluctant to turn away from him. She just kept on going, finally accepting the inevitable with a heavy heart.

After seeing that Ruby ran off, Duo lowered his head down. He mentally thanked the Jedi for being such a blast to fight with. Finally left alone, he moved his thumb down to press the button, ready to end his life to save everyone else.

As he prepared to push the button, Pi was in his mind before he could end it all… Back to that conversation he had with the brother who he shared his life with.

Some bet he made… At least, for what it was worth, he would go out winning the fight for the Republic. Maybe he could join his brother in whatever dimension or afterlife clones would go to…

He pressed the button…

At once, it was all silent. The loud booming noises of the explosives going off soon blasted into his ears and the flashes from the explosions brightened up the dark interior of his helmet. The area around him shook violently as the bombs detonated on the cliffs, letting the cliffs to finally give way and crumble down before his very eyes. The rocks began to crumble all around him and fall down towards the droid army down below. Finally, to end the suffering that had plagued him, he was about to finally let go, releasing his grip on the rock and let himself join the droids to a tumbling grave. There was no greater way to go out with a bang…

He let go, closing his eyes and falling down to his doom…

…

…

…

* * *

Once again, he felt nothing.

"Huh?" Once he thought it was all over, he opened his eyes to see if he finally dead, floating in some eternal realm of wherever clones would go to. However, when he saw what was going on, all he could see was dust.

A huge cloud of sand and dust flew all around him. He looked down to see the fresh destruction left behind by a sheer force of power. Looking closely, Duo had seen that this was not the work of some spiritual power. Rather, he immediately recognized the terrain around him and after a while, he had sighed in confusion as to how it was all happening.

He was somehow floating over the same carnage he had caused after detonating the bombs that sent the cliff rocks falling down on the droid army. He thought he had chosen to fall down and finally die at the hands of his own heroic attempt. He felt that he was finally free to ascend to the heavens and join his brother.

Yet, somehow… Someway… He was floating above the destroyed droid army…

Alive…

After remembering a similar experience of drifting above, he turned to where he could see the destroyed cliff. Suddenly, he felt a pulling force levitating him towards the cliff. Slowly, he came closer and closer until, with his faint vision, he could see a shade of red nearing him.

As the clone came closer, he finally saw what was happening…

"Commander?" There he saw, Ruby reaching out to him with her power and pulling him towards her. She closed her eyes more, clearly exhausted from using her powers to save his life. When Duo finally came close, he simply fell to the ground after using up all his strength in his supposed sacrifice. He landed right in front of the tired Jedi, falling flat the ground on his face.

He groaned with pain from the shrapnel he sustained from the grenade, rolling to his side so he could grasp it with his hand. He began to wonder to himself; how did he actually survive this? Of course, Ruby had something to do with it, but he had to ask himself. Why?

Ruby exhaustingly knelt down next to the weakened clone, also battered herself from her heroic deed. Dirt was smeared on her pale face and her eyes were too weak to be fully opened. She panted from the headache and huge amount of concentration she did to save his life while he was falling. She didn't think she could do it. She was about to leave him so he could finally rest in peace and join his brother in the Force. But then, in an instant, something snapped.

Ruby turned back and saved his life. She mustered up all the power she had to reach out and pull him away from certain death. She didn't know if it was necessary, but she felt like she had to. Her power grew to almost convince her to rescue Duo from his doom. It was as the Force willed it, she felt…

"You're not… going to die today, Duo." she declared between pants. She then smiled, remembering what Duo had told her before they began their mission. "Pi wanted you to live through this, right? Then you're not losing that bet for him."

Duo couldn't believe he was still alive after that show of force. All he did was just lay down on his back and curse at faith for letting him ache a little more. However, he did feel very thankful that Ruby had decided to use up her power to save him. Not that he was cool with her being tired out, but he was very touched by how much she herself was willing to do to save him.

He turned his head back to the very thing he did to win the battle. He saw the pile of boulders, rocks and dirt that accumulated after the bombardment of the cliffs. Smoke drifted away and droid remains were just everywhere, either from the rocks or the resulting salvo of clone fire that eventually finished off what had been missed.

Either way, the two were finally content of their mission. They didn't know how was it possible to come out of this alive, but they knew it was worth it. It was truly an awesome day for the both of them…

"Let's never do that again…" Duo chuckled.

"Agreed." Ruby couldn't agree more.

* * *

An hour after the battle had endedm Ruby was finally back at the Republic base. After that rough battle, she had finally given herself time to recover from the trauma and workout she went through on that cliff. Her clothes were still slightly torn and damaged, and her skin was still smudged from the dirt and dust. However, her spirit was still at an all-time high.

She stood outside a small building within the walls of the base. Right next to her, her droid, Zee, had been there to accompany her after her return. He was sure panicked when he saw how messed up she looked. But Ruby was as sweet and enthusiastic to him as she had been since they first met, assuring the droid that she had only a few scratches and bruises.

Ruby and Zee finally entered the building. At both sides from the entrance, beds and stretchers flanked them. Droids, both humanoid and little stubby ones floating around, moved here and there, carrying medical supplies and tending to injured clones on their beds. She knew some of them were from the previous battle, and especially one of them was just lying on one of the beds.

She eagerly went right for that clone and stood by his side, looking cheerful as if she hadn't been traumatized by the war. The clone eventually looked to his side to see the Jedi right above him. He chuckled, shaking his head from amazement at how she could do all the thigns she did with him earlier.

"Well, Commander." Duo cheered. "I gotta say. You've got some spunk."

"I do what I can." Ruby mused brightly. Before then, she gave the clone a gentle smile, hope written on her face. "You're going to be okay, right?"

"Heh!" Duo scoffed mockingly. "It's just a bruise. Surely a few bacta injections wouldn't hurt. Soon enough, I'll be back fighting alongside you, lass." Ruby was grateful to have such a loyal clone… A loyal friend to fight beside with. She could only show her fist and nodded determined to see him fight with her in battle again.

"I can't wait for that." Finally, Duo nodded before giving his head a rest on the pillow he'd been craving to lie down on. Soon, the medical droid arrived to take him off for bacta treatment. Ruby watched as Duo was wheeled away outside the room, pledging for the day she'll gladly join the fight against the Separatist army. For the first time in a while, now she had gained the courage to fight another day.

When she exited the room with Zee, she saw her old Master, sitting down on a bench just opposite the entrance. She walked over to the Jedi Master, bowing down and expecting him to say more of his strict words to her.

"That was one bold move you did there, Ruby." Instead, he gave Ruby a straight compliment. She honestly thought why she had to worry so much if he could give her compliments like this. She guessed it was always good to be humble in the face of making such risky moves. "You saved that clone's life before those droids knew what hit them."

"You're right, Kenta." she told Kenta, letting him know that she had finally understood the meaning of fighting alongside an army of clones who would die protecting the Republic and the galaxy. "These clones were all bred to fight these wars for us." However, she had to add how different many could be when it came to personality, devotion and brotherly love. "But sometimes… Sometimes they have their own lives too. They have their fun times and then they have their sad ones. One way or another… they're all people. Just like us."

Kenta rose up from his seat. He gave Ruby a firm nod, actually accepting her opinion. It could be thanks to that brief compliment the clone officer he was fighting with made to her resolve. With such a heartfelt comment and Duo's own flamboyant personality, he had been taught a new lesson on his own. These clones were not as perfectly bred to fight wars as he had first thought. It was almost as if it wasn't just pure programming or direct orders that drove them to fight. It was felt like pure devotion that carried them forward.

"Maybe there's a thing or two I can learn about them too, Ruby." He then sighed, knowing full well of who they were and what they were fighting for. "But they're still soldiers. They still have a mission to fulfil, whether they like it or not. It's almost as if… No. They **definitely** have no choice but to fight."

For Ruby, it wasn't just the clones who had to fight. In one way or another, it seemed that, now that the galaxy was drenched in it, everyone, especially the Jedi Order, had to be part of it.

"And so do we." Yes, it started to finally make sense for her. Perhaps, even as the Jedi were pushed to fight a violent war, it was probably for the best that the galaxy would defend itself from the dark influence of the war and its belligerents. She was going to give it all she had to see the end of the conflict and finally find peace within the divided galaxy around her.

It was she had been trained, and certainly what clones like Duo and Pi were born to do…

 **A/N~ Finally got that one done! It was such a blast writing this chapter and I certainly hoped you enjoyed it. So, what did you think about it? Do you like Duo's character thus far? If so, let me know in the reviews and tell me if you would like to see him in future chapters.**

 **Thank you so much for reading, and may the Force be with you!**


	14. Fools and Blunders

**Back with another chapter! To makes things a little more fun, look out for an RT Easter Egg I have put in this chapter. It shouldn't be hard to spot if you've been around watching Achievement Hunter ;)**

 **Reviews:**

 **Cy Man**

 **Once again, thank you so much for the review! As for the latter part of your review, we'll need to wait and see how far the story can go.**

 **Spartan-100**

 **Yep, Duo is going to have a lot more appearances from here on out! Expect some more wacky moments from him soon!**

 **A warm thank you to Cinderfall201, RangerWalkerN7, xKaizer, FateLancer17, Beowulf Anarchy, Casu4lDucK, Dressyone22, Anonymous8888 and Spiralling-Dragon for liking and favouriting the story!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Fools and Blunders**

 **Sometimes, you don't need help. You just need a little push in the right direction to find your way…**

 _Fire in the Outer Rim!_

 _The war between the Republic and the Separatists threaten to burn through the galaxy. With more young men and women willing to fight for the glory of the Remnant system, multiple armies are spread throughout the fronts, joining the clone armies in the fight against the enemy._

 _In a jungle planet, a force of young, eager Remnant soldiers prepares for an assault that leaves them stranded in the unknown wilderness, waiting for salvation to liberate them._

* * *

 _Sanctum's Pride,_

 _The Salutation,_

Mad'kin Rian,

Border of Remnant System and the Outer Rim Territories,

"I have a bad feeling about this." Never before had Pyrrha Nikos ever said those words before. She was always the optimistic one in the battle; before, during or after. She may have had some terrible times in fights before, but there was always time to cheer and rejoice over the many victories she made or reassure over defeats she suffered. It was that charm and spirit that made her so renowned among troopers under her command.

How fast things changed… Now, she was, for the first time in a long while, actually worried. Not for herself, but for someone else.

Pyrrha was waiting idly in her ship, which itself was docked inside a Venator cruiser right underneath the belly of the frigate. She paced around the brig of her ship, hands tied behind her back and taking slow steps, with a worried face. The once calm persona that she was so known for was clearly not seen as she seemed troubled by the person in mind.

She hadn't expected it to be this worrisome. She thought it would have been really simple to teach young Jaune Arc on how to fight in the field of combat. She'd already been through all the basic exercises she could show him. So far, he had been able to follow through and made sure he managed to come out feeling strong after a few rounds.

Now, after finally getting him fit for service, Jaune was tasked by Pyrrha to help defend a Republic installation on the planet Mad'kin Rian; a planet once ruled by a ruthless dictator many centuries ago. It has then become a cesspool for conflict when the Separatist armies invaded this protectorate of the Republic, almost a few parsecs away from the nearest Confederacy-controlled system. She never stopped worrying; a first in her usually confident stance of life. Something told Pyrrha that Jaune was going to stumble somewhere at some point. She felt the urge to go down to the planet and help him out. However, her soldier-like instincts told her that she had to leave him to put his training to the test.

"Madam." She turned her head to her side after being called by the co-pilot of the _Sanctum's Pride_ , who stepped forward with her hands also behind her back, dressed in her brown uniform with floral patterns of yellow on the shirt.

"Yes, Cormé?" Pyrrha responded. The co-pilot of the ship, fresh from a short-lived holiday on her home planet of Naboo, spoke with a voice that immediately spelt 'authority' to her. Indeed, she was like a rare diamond; a tough, steadfast officer amongst the more peaceful Nabooian people, whose military functioned more as security than actual militaristic force.

"We have a visitor on board requesting your attention." Pyrrha wondered who could be coming aboard to talk to her at this hour. "Shall I let him in?" Thus, she decided to let the person in question to come on into the ship and speak to her.

"Sure thing." Pyrrha gave a nod, signalling the co-pilot to turn around and bring the visitor over. After Cormé left the room, Pyrrha returned to her trance of concern. She probably would have to go down there to accompany the Remnant troops anyway, so she could spend some of her supervision time to give Jaune some more guidance.

So many thoughts swam in her head. Was Jaune okay? Was he actually performing well under the orders of the military leader in charge of his detachment? Was he still struggling to maintain his posture and stance in battle? Anything had to happen, and as reports come in that there was confrontation with the droids down where he was sent to, she couldn't stop worrying about him.

She wished she could have kept him by her side, perhaps train him more before they could both go down to fight. Unfortunately, a little bit of ambition got in the way. She wasn't too open to trying out bold moves on her own, but this was probably one of the few times she cursed at herself for making the wrong choice. Sending Jaune to see if he could function as a soldier without her supervision was not going as well. At least, she thought it didn't. By now, she'd be getting a message from him, or anyone who was in charge of his squad or battalion.

She waited for hours for a single sign, or a word from an officer in charge. Nothing came, and that was putting her in the state she was in.

The worries had to be put aside, however. She headed for the ship boarding ramp just below her; just walk from out of the bridge and the ramp was right there over the railing. There, she found Cormé standing in front of a lone clone trooper, who was standing on the lowered ramp. Pyrrha walked down towards the ramp, heading for Cormé and the clone.

The clone had armour painted with cyan in the form of the usual trims lining up against the white plating at the chest and along the T-shaped visor, while also fully coloured at the shoulder pads. As soon as Pyrrha showed up, the clone turned to her and immediately stood at attention. Cormé left the two, knowing that the Commander would settle with the conversation by herself, and returned to the bridge.

"Commander Pyrrha Nikos. I've been given orders to find you." the clone introduced himself to the Mistrallan commander.

"Present and accounted for, soldier." Pyrrha nodded respectfully.

"CT-1788. Reporting in, ma'am." The clone stood straight, which puzzled Pyrrha. She didn't mind having a clone having to serve some purpose to her and her battalion, but she was quite curious as to why a clone was sent to her in the first place. Normally, her troop consisted of those who were trained from the many academies of Remnant. Not once had she been asked to lead clones in her force, even if there was no problem with it.

"And you're here for…?" she then asked.

"I've been assigned by command to be your personal assistant in management of any clone battalion at your disposal. I shall supervise whatever direction you have towards the clone army, just in case you're lost in how we function." Now, Pyrrha understood. Of course, it would make since for a non-clone military leader to have some form of help when it came to clone society and lifestyle. Since the clone army had only been revealed so suddenly a few months ago, not many ever understood about these mysterious troopers; where they came from, or how long they had been progressing, none of this knowledge had ever surfaced until almost recently. Pyrrha had no time to study the details, so help in the form of a clone advisor was more than welcome.

"That's very nice of them." praised Pyrrha before giving her attention to the clone. "Very good… Um…" However, something seemed to get stuck within the greeting.

"Is there something wrong, Commander?" the clone asked.

"Sorry." she sheepishly apologized. "I kinda forgot your identification code." It was sort of hard to memorize the numbers, given that all other clones had their own unique code.

"CT-1788, ma'am." The clone took no offense to the blunder, nodding understandingly and reminding her once more.

"Ah, yes! Thank you." Her memory refreshed, Pyrrha and the clone proceeded to get into the ship, so that the crew could raise the ramp. While they were at it, Pyrrha continued on getting to know her new advisor more, though the clone started first.

"I assume you're going down to Mad'kin Rian to inspect a certain soldier?" inquired CT-1788.

"Affirmative." confirmed Pyrrha. "What was your division, soldier?"

"The 212th Attack Battalion. I was under the service of Commander CT-2224 and two Jedi Generals during a battle on Christophsis." Pyrrha remembered a detailed report on a recent skirmish at the mentioned planet. From what she read, the Republic was undergoing a relief mission to nourish the civilian population of the planet Christophsis. It soon led to an all-out battle between the clone army, comprised mainly of the 501st Clone and 212th Attack Battalions, which proceeded to win the fight and repulsed the Separatist invasion of the planet. "We managed to push the Separatists back from the region. A hard-fought battle, if I must say." The warrior from Mistral felt very interested in hearing this clone's encounters with one of the first battles in this war, wanting to ask more of his experience in fighting in a hectic firefight between the clones and the droid army. However, she had more important matters to deal with at the moment. Accounts of past battles had to wait; she needed to prepare for whenever she would be sent down to find her partner, and help him through the battle below.

"So, now that we're all well acquainted, why not I show you around?" She motioned for CT-1788 to enter into the ship to get him used to the surroundings.

"Sounds good, ma'am." The clone had no objections. He could use a little guidance over his new station in the ship of his superior officer, and get used to the unfamiliar scene, away from the colourless, stale interiors of Republic cruisers or his own home at Kamino. Pyrrha led the way into her prized ship; one that gave Anima its grand reputation of naval superiority and orbital security. With a friendly and helpful crew in tow, Pyrrha hoped the clone would feel right at home in her ship for the duration of the war.

"Commander." Suddenly, the two were interrupted by Cormé, who exited the command bridge in an informative manner. She stood in front of the two, with a stern face as she delivered the news she had to offer. "We've received word from Captain Archwick of the 34th Unity Mountain Division. He requests your aid in dealing with a Separatist counterattack."

Pyrrha grew concerned. The 34th Unity Mountain Division was the unit Jaune was sent to, as of right now. Now, it was a good time to go down to the surface and help him out, after all. She had to make sure he was fine, otherwise, he'd end up being bug-squashed. She hated to think about writing an after-action report on the injury of an Arc, under her responsible tutelage. What a disgrace that would be for the both of them; Pyrrha, more so. She wouldn't only be responsible for any harm brought upon Jaune, but letting him down would do irreparable damage to the close relations between the Arc and Nikos families. The last thing she wanted was a familial face-off between two of Remnant's most renowned warrior dynasties.

"Well, looks like our tour will have to wait, CT-1788." She faced her new clone assistant with a face of sure determination, eager to help Jaune survive this ordeal.

"It's no problem. I'm ready to go down there, ma'am." CT-1788 followed with Pyrrha's need to liberate her combat partner from the troubles he was facing down there. Given the support to proceed, Pyrrha turned back to Cormé to set the coordinates and reinforce the front, where she could also rain down and rescue the man she was supposed to be fighting with.

"Set course for the surface, Cormé." The Nabooian co-pilot acknowledged and returned to her post and inform the pilot to set their course for the planet. Pyrrha then led CT-1788 into the bridge and towards their seats as the ship moved towards its location.

* * *

Orthyk Valley,

Mad'kin Rian,

Border of Remnant System and the Outer Rim Territories,

The jungles of Mad'kin Rian were not anything to admire as the centre point of its tourism. The vegetation of the planet grew to epic sizes all over the place, providing a grand habitat for wildlife to thrive. Colonization had been attempted before, for centuries; some attempts successful to some degree, but most others were only dashed by how vast the area of jungle was on the surface. The rainforests were just so rampant that nothing in this world could be classified as endangered. And such abundance of wild creatures roaming around the trees and understories would be the bane of anyone's existence; those who try to even make a living here were doomed to being hunted by them.

No wonder a dictator once found this place worth his time.

The only city thriving enough to withstand the test of time here was the capital itself. If you could call it a capital, given that other areas were practically dead, barely surviving against the elements. Nothing here was worth anything other than being a source for traditional lumber exports to be transfused into much needed carbon resources.

Other than that, it would not really hold any other significance to crisis or war, which was the bright spot of the civilization living on the planet. That was all about to change… As it so happened, Mad'kin Rian, a jungle planet in the Remnant System, stood right at the very border of the Republic with its non-affiliate neighbours; those who were susceptible to joining their enemies of the Separatist Alliance. Because there was nothing it could offer to both sides in terms of resources, strategic positioning through military efficiency was the only other motivation for the field of battle that was about to sweep the planet clean of its innocent and neutral status.

"AAAHHH!" If you'd look closely enough, you might catch a lone prey animal jumping out of the bushes from the sight of you coming closer to inspect like a predator. Instead, right now, the only thing running was a young recruit who was trying to save his skin from an incoming barrage of laser fire.

Jaune ran out of the thick bushes and back into the barren trenches where a line of troopers, wearing their knightly armour of Atlesian steel, were all standing by as they watched the cowardly soldier, along with several other retreating men, fall back into the trenches to fire back at the droid army raging behind them. The Arc jumped right into the trenches right away, ducking for cover right before the soldiers beside him fired towards the battle droids.

Both of his hands on the back of his head, he pushed himself down, fearing the chance of being shot in the head, though that didn't stop him from cowering in the face of the explosions that would eventually ring around the field.

Jaune was pinned down at all directions, squeamish at the slightest noise or sight of battle. Surely enough, when a lone grenade landed right next to him, his eyes widened with panic.

"GRENADE!" He didn't need to scream it out; another soldier spotted the explosive next to him. The callout quickly caused the troopers to disperse and run to avoid being either blown to pieces, or being shredded by the shrapnel that would follow.

Jaune leapt out of the way ahead of the troops, ducking down just as the grenade blew up a few feet away from him. However, though safe from the explosion, he was splattered at by blobs of mud, messing up the already dirt-stained white armour he was wearing. Worse yet, the mud eventually landed on the skin near his face, slapping him with little bits of dirt. Although he was glad to be safe from harm, the mud on his face gave him rather distressing disgust that really ticked him off.

"This… stinks." the Arc moaned unhappily. As soon as he rose, the rain continued to fall heavily all around him. He took caution and ducked a little lower to avoid a different kind of shower; the barrage of laser fire that was already tearing the defences apart. And this was where the worst had come…

Soon, he saw one of his fellow soldiers shot down instantly, dropping down as violent as much as how much a carnivore's claw could swipe; swift and fatal. Next, another soldier fell, shot to the chest and causing him to stumble back in extreme pain. It wasn't long before a second shot finally zapped through his head, throwing the now lifeless body down. One by one, Jaune was forced to watch as each of his comrades were shot down by relentless fire from the droid army. He had no time to see how near the droids were. There was too much he could handle with the horrid sight of soldiers dying around him, let alone watching the enemy come closer and closer with each man killed around him.

If it weren't for the banging noises of rifles going off everywhere, Jaune would have heard the marching noises of the battle droids getting clearer and clearer. The intensity of firepower bursting at him was pushing him down to not act against the enemy. He wanted to brave the fear and fight back, just as Pyrrha had instructed him. However, all he did was make small peeks over the trench line before hiding behind the cover at the next second.

Once he looked over at the hill behind the troops, he could see more reinforcements arriving to assist the front. Alongside the Remnant Coalition soldiers racing to help their brothers, they were backed by clone troopers, who were part of the main force defending the planet against the Separatist invasion. These were clones that were initially stationed here to prepare for the eventual offensive against the nearest Separatist planet to Mad'kin Rian. However, the Separatists were quicker than the Republic once thought, catching them by surprise and pinning them down before they could depart.

Mad'kin Rian wasn't the only case. In fact, Republic worlds across the borders to the Outer Rim Territories, just at the northern part of the galaxy, were being besieged right before the clone armies could either leave and engage, or even arrive on time to protect them, leaving them vulnerable to quick control by the enemy. So, essentially, the war had pretty much started with an advantage for the Separatists. Fortunately, Mad'kin Rian was already protected when the Separatists arrived.

Jaune was in the thick of a Separatist invasion that was rocking his fellow troops hard. Even with the additional forces en route to reinforce the front, the droids were still raging closer to overwhelm them. Unfortunately, he was still being hesitant to look up and fire back. His rifle was practically unused for the entire duration of the battle, ever since being stationed in the same outpost he had lost to the droids.

He was forced to watch people die all around him, adding up to the tension inside of him. The deaths of these stronger men and women made him feel even more vulnerable to retreat again, even if it defied orders from his commanding officer to fight back.

"Incoming attack!" The clones and other soldiers were alarmed when hearing the nearing droids coming forth, so the callout by one of the soldiers was not really needed. The soldiers had to peek out and fire their weapons, but that would result in more deaths. Jaune didn't have time to reassure himself of the bigger number of droids being totalled by his allies, nor was he feeling any safer with the emplaced turret firing back with rapid speed. The lightning-fast weapon would have made it even easier to fight back, but no one was able to anticipate how big the enemy's numbers were. It appeared that no one had learned from what had happened on Naboo and Geonosis, thinking that the battle that started this whole war, on the latter planet, resulted in the destruction of the droid factories that could have hindered the Separatists' ability to create more, large armies.

"EEK!" Jaune ducked down, just as soon as a stray shot grazed the mound he was hiding behind, with a whining noise ringing in his ear for being too close to it. He covered his ears to massage the nausea off, but was quickly interrupted when a clone shouted next to him.

"Stand your ground, troopers!" The soldiers resumed their defensive positions, retaking the line and firing back as soon as they come into contact with the droids. Despite his urge to run, he was soon met with another loud voice, booming towards him and forcing him to stay put and take the hit.

"You heard the clone, private!" The man standing right in front of Jaune was recognized as a gruff Duros with his wrinkly blue face and red eyes beaming down at him. The strict gaze was enough to give Jaune a few nightmares, ever since he was assigned to this division that so happened to be under that Duros' command. "Fire back!"

Now, Jaune was beyond terrified; so much so, that he was willing to actually fight. The fear of being reprimanded by the captain was almost enough to stir him into action, instead of dealing with him. Jaune grabbed his blaster, his grip vibrated from the hesitance to face the battle head on. He hurriedly poked up to feel the storm of lasers heading right for him. He had to brave the odds. Firing his weapon away, he did his best to maintain his posture, just as Pyrrha had instructed him.

He took a deep breath, peeped out and aimed his weapon to fire back. The blue streaks of energy bolts launched rapidly from the barrel, spreading out as he had the trigger pulled back. He did his best not to scream, cringing with paranoia over being shot down. Luckily, he was able to knock off a few droids, so that was a little satisfying. However, his urge to back down had caused him to stop and drop, all while his fellow soldiers continued to shoot the droids.

"Fire back, private!" The Duros captain continued to rant out orders, yelling at Jaune from right beside him. "Don't just cower like some pest!" Jaune could do without the simile, but the message was still making him very aggravated from the added tension. He really wanted to run off and hide from the brutality of war being thrown at him. However, he had nowhere to go; either face the harsh music of his superior's rants, or suffer from the violence in front of him. This was not what he wanted from honouring his family's legacy.

The defensive line was taking hit after hit, losing man after man, as they fell to the might of the droid army. The numerical advantage the droids had played almost against the prospect of living intelligence. Each second passed felt like an hour for Jaune, having forced to live with it throughout his stay on this wild planet.

He was practically trapped in a hell hole of violent death and destruction, on his first day…

He continued to take short turns in firing at the droids, only for him retreat back at the slightest moment when things got hectic enough. His weapon, though a popular design made by the joint efforts of BlasTech Industries and the Grobbe Pioniere Weapons Manufacturing of Atlas, held closely for him to fight the droids, but so far, he had only fired more stray shots rather than proper, directly-aimed ones. Droids were shot, but more began to take the places of the destroyed. With this overwhelming experience, Jaune was not feeling any braver than he wanted to be. This was going to be one of those days, where he would flunk out of another good service. This time, however, this failure would probably be his last.

"Look!" Then, another soldier, a younger female one, called out to everyone as she pointed to the sky to find that a miracle was about to arrive. Jaune perked up to see just exactly what that miracle was, and to his ultimate relief, it was the help he desperately needed.

The ship came diving down towards the ground with sharp speeds, raging through the grey storm clouds towards the droid armies down below. It then unleashed a flurry of rapid laser fire that rained down on the droids, decimating the lines completely. The swift pattern of blast sounds echoed throughout the area as the ship finished up its strafing run and flew right back up.

Jaune could finally sigh a breath of relief upon seeing the _Sanctum's Pride_ coming to save the day. The Defender corvette zoomed away from the ground before turning back around to make another run at the enemy droids. This was probably the moment he prepared to move out, hoping the rest of the troops would see the advantage and move with him. Still, he was down on the ground, waiting for someone else to make the first move. Unaware that someone was snarling at him for his cowardice, the Arc took his time and eventually allowed the rest of his battalion to move out and take the fight to the enemy.

"Go, go, go!" The clones started the charge, leaving the Remnant troopers behind to act as firing support from the back. The white armour-clad soldiers raged towards the droids like old cavalry straight from the tales of wars of the past, while Jaune's own comrades safely fired with the protection of the clone army. However, Jaune still cringed at the sight of clone troopers being mercilessly slaughtered at the hands of the droids. How these strange beings were forced to race towards the droids, to end up being brutally killed by the enemy as they charged, Jaune could not fathom. For now, however, he could only stay behind and watch as his troop moved on without him.

While being held back by his own fears, he would soon receive a little rebuking of his own, even as peace slowly came back in a few minutes after the charge. Soon, as Jaune stayed breathing at the same mound he had been hiding behind, the Duros captain, who had been shouting at him the whole time he was on the planet, stomped towards him, with his feet flapping from stepping on the muddy ground.

Jaune could feel a chilling sensation running wildly up his spine, and it wasn't the cold rainy weather that was responsible for it. Suddenly, he was picked up by the collar and launched up to the face of Captain Archwick. The red-eyed alien, despite being middle-aged in his own biological standards, still looked quite healthy. If his strength at pulling up the meek Jaune Arc from the ground wasn't enough to describe it, the bright blue skin easily helped to identify the good condition he was in. The only thing unhealthy for the captain, was the short temper he had towards the cowardly soldier.

"Look here, you lousy excuse of an anooba!" the captain snarled, the same way he'd always do to Jaune ever since he'd been given the frustrating task of commanding this _'clumsy, bumbling brat'_. "If I wasn't given strict orders to have you in my division, I would have sent you straight to court martialling for your worthless antics!" "In fact, you're still very close to seeing the last days of your shameful career as a soldier."

"Sorry, sir!" Jaune cried as he held his collar. "I-I did my best, didn't I?" The sheepish but pitiful tone of Jaune's voice was enough to really tick off the captain.

"You? Did your best?" Anger turned to mockery as the Duros laughed out pathetically at the boy for being trying to be optimistic when he made no effort to help his comrades in battle. "Hah! Don't make me…!" However, the grunting and the yelling were put to a halt. Suddenly, the two were notified of the loud, low blowing noises of a ship coming in for landing at a nearby open space. The large Defender corvette touched down just nicely over the mud, blasting away the dirt and mud all over the place. The two men withstood the strong breeze from the ship's hovering before finally relieved once the ship had powered down.

Even as Jaune felt safe with the arrival of his mentor, it would most certainly be lovely if Captain Archwick wasn't grabbing onto his collar and lifting him up. Thankfully, well, sort of, the captain let go of him just on cue before giving him one cold glare of warning.

"I'll deal with you later." He then stomped off to greet the commander who was going to join him. Jaune was down on the ground, sitting with his backside down on the ground. He got himself up, wriggling his fingers down to get rid of the mud stuck on them.

Jaune trailed behind Captain Archwick, just in time to see Pyrrha, wearing a dark-green camo cloak over her battle uniform, heading down with a clone behind her. Though Jaune wanted to come and greet her, he knew well not to get in the way of Captain Archwick as he made the move to welcome Pyrrha by himself.

"Ah! Commander Nikos!" the captain spread his arms out and jollily celebrated her welcome, ignoring the clone by her side. "I'm so glad you have arrived! It is an honour to finally have you fighting alongside us."

"The honour's all mine, Captain Archwick." complimented Pyrrha, shaking his hand. Then, she soon saw her combat partner just behind the captain. She noticed the dirt and mud stained on his armour and skin. His less-than-satisfied face and slumped body gave off more than she needed to know, as it seemed like the boy had taken a rather big hit to the gut over his battle against the droids.

"We are in a very tight pickle, Commander. I am sure you can provide us with the necessary firepower to help us out." As loud as Captain Archwick was, Pyrrha simply paid no attention to him. She only stared at Jaune, which the boy took notice of and responded with a sheepish grin and a goofy hand-wave.

"What happened to him?" asked Pyrrha, facing right at Jaune. The Duros captain turned around and found the pitiful sight of Jaune Arc, just behind him. He scoffed again, clearly having no interest in dealing with a subordinate, and was sure Pyrrha would do some good for him if she could be rid of him herself.

"Oh, him." he nonchalantly pointed at the boy, no heart or care for his own well-being. "This subordinate has been cowering in the face of battle. Hmph!" He continued to berate Jaune for his weakness in battle, speaking with high pride, as if trying to avoid being associated with such a nuisance. "What a fool. I'd say you go there and show him the way out, Commander. He doesn't even deserve to be here, in the army of our glorious Remnant." The captain idly waited, shifting his body to the side and awaited Pyrrha's actions against Jaune, expecting to see a much deserved send-off to a thorn to his side.

Unfortunately for him, Pyrrha did not seem to care about disciplining Jaune, let alone forcing him to resign. After all, she understood him, sickened by Captain Archwick's own opinion of him. No one is perfect; everyone stumbles. And for someone like Jaune, yes, maybe it'll be very hard to finally prevail, but sometimes, that moment of prevailing can come when one pours his or her heart into what they need to do. He definitely showed it back at his Academy, when he pushed himself to save a friend, overcoming his fears and putting himself in the firing line to win the battle. Jaune was probably denied of the chance, if Captain Archwick's lack of belief in him was anything to go by.

Jaune, however, understood that he had performed badly out there. Anyone in the military could see that; and especially people who have had tons of experience out in the field. Pyrrha could be very disappointed in him for doing exactly that bad. He just knew it; he was going to get in so much trouble for this.

Still, Pyrrha said nothing to the Duros, and just walked straight to Jaune. The boy arched back a little, ready for the comeuppance he deserved for failing her, all on his first day. Instead of a ridiculous tirade, however, Pyrrha just dusted off some of the dirt on his face and smiled. Jaune would have thought she would actually slap him for being such a nuisance. Again, he was reminded of how kind and optimistic she was. After all, he was the one she chose to be her partner, choosing him for his heart and soul, and not just the build of his body. Why would she ever yell at him, or even threaten to axe him out, if she was courteous to bring him under her wing in the first place?

Pyrrha then went on to ask as politely as she would always be.

"Are you alright, Jaune?"

"Just a little mud on my face, but I'll live." answered Jaune. As the two continued to talk, Captain Archwick was behind them, currently baffled. He didn't understand why Pyrrha was being nice to Jaune. Why would a prestigious warrior like Pyrrha Nikos, who had won so many battles for Remnant, attempt to connect with a failure like Jaune; no disrespect to the Arc family, of course. When CT-1788 came forth to observe the two, he was quite intrigued at seeing this small little kid, metaphorically speaking, could get that kind of care from an elite soldier like Pyrrha. No wonder she was a well-respected commander to bring in a poor mind of a man into her tutelage.

"I assume that must be Commander Nikos' combat partner." After hearing the clone trooper speak, Captain Archwick was shocked to hear his words.

"Combat partner?! Him?!" He couldn't believe that an incapable boy like Jaune could ever be the combat partner of someone so powerful. There was no way she would ever be paired with a waste of recruitment. It was certainly enough to make him laugh pitifully at the thought. "Certainly there has to be a mistake."

"I don't know, sir." CT-1788 was not as offended by the decision as Archwick was. "If Commander Nikos chose him, then there has to be a good reason." As reasonable as CT-1788 was, Captain Archwick didn't share his sentiment; not taking the notion to kindly. If you're a weakling, then the best place you could be is back home doing your chores like the kid you are, before growing up.

Other than Jaune, the captain didn't really take the clone's own opinion to heart. From what he knew, clones were born in vats, meant to be bred to not think, and fight without questioning anything about the orders given. They shouldn't be allowed to think openly; they should just do what they're meant to do. Fight, or die.

"What do you know, clone?" Not wanting to deal with these 'insensible' odds, Captain Archwick just turned around and walked off, hoping that the next time Pyrrha meets him, she would have seen the error of her ways and finally realize that Jaune Arc is the disgrace of the family. Unfortunately, he had also left a sour taste in CT-1788's mouth. Sure, he and all of his other brothers were cloned from a single template, but he didn't really feel like being like the template himself. He wasn't as straight serious or downright quiet and unemotional as most of the others; he was more relaxed and curious than most would think. He was still loyal, but that didn't stop him from gathering his own thoughts on the people around him. Well, he certainly had something to say about Captain Archwick.

"A whole lot more than you, monkey lizard…" He spat back with disgust, though not loud enough for the Duros to hear him. The clone trooper just walked over to Pyrrha, just as he was tasked to do. As he did so, the pair of partners were still in the middle of their talk.

Pyrrha had to admit it; even if Jaune had every right to face combat, he still had a lot to work with, now that she had heard everything from Archwick's comments alone. Jaune was still hesitant to move forward. She'd have to work on his spirit a little more, before putting him back in the frontlines.

"If you keep getting pushed around like this, you're not going to go far, Jaune." she commented. Jaune nodded shamefully, thinking he had upset her. Unbeknownst to him, however, the Mistralan commander wasn't any bit disappointed with him. She felt bad for the boy, knowing how much he had to go through after he was out of the Academy. Her training wasn't perfect; that much she knew. She couldn't expect Jaune to immediately grow out of the scared demeanour that he was forced to live with. He needed work, with more training and a little bit of motivation to keep him up to form.

For now, Pyrrha decided to comfort him, not intent on getting him worried about his own failures. She could always be more assertive of his skills when they're doing training, so now, she had to be a more caring figure before putting him back to shape himself up.

"So, how was your time here?" asked Pyrrha. As expected, Jaune wasn't really thrilled about the question.

"Like the mud…" Jaune forced a joke to try and lighten the mood. He was aware that the attempt didn't really work, as some many times before, when in doubt, he would always try and make others happy, when he himself couldn't. Too bad no one was ever fooled. He only ended up making others either worry for him, or see him more as an incompetent moron or coward, unfit to fight, as all of his ancestors did long before. Eventually, when he was about to finish his sentence, all he could do was simply be straightforward about it. "Miserable."

Pyrrha had her eyes looking down on the ground, kind of hurt that he was letting himself down. It personally affected her as well, as she felt that she was responsible for not doing enough. Perhaps it was too soon to send him to serve with the rest of Remnant's troops.

No. Nothing is for naught. Not yet. She had to confide with him to remain positive, for they were at war. They had to be at full spirits if they were to combat an enemy that far more mechanical than ever before. She had to make sure he was ready to fight, even if his heart was in the right place.

"It's never easy getting through such an environment, kid." Suddenly, they were interrupted by the voice of CT-1788, barging into the conversation while offering Jaune his own advice. "You've got to work on your endurance in battle, if you are to survive out there." Suddenly, he shook his head, remembering that he had just hopped on in without any warning whatsoever. "Uh, pardon me for intruding, Commander."

"No offense taken." assured Pyrrha, waving her hand insistently. She then realized that the two men on her sides hadn't met yet, so made the courtesy to introduce them to each other. "Jaune, this is CT-1788. He's going to make sure we make a good example in front of the clones."

"Nice to meet you." The two shook hands, finally bringing the trio together into a solid society of soldiers. The three soldiers were now a team, meant to become proper warriors to help the Republic face the droid army, and forge morale for others around them.

"Now that I'm here, let us work on that routine again." suggested Pyrrha. Jaune had no objection for more of Pyrrha's training sessions. No matter how similar they were to the army's own warmup sessions, he was fonder of hers, simply because she would rather instruct him with caution and understanding than through brutal reprimanding and rants about letting down the Republic.

"Yeah. Let's do that." agreed Jaune.

"You're free to join us, CT-1788." offered Pyrrha to the clone assistant.

"I've been trained in the simulators for years, ma'am. I'm sure I've plenty of experience enough." insisted CT-1788.

"Your loss." Pyrrha shrugged, taking Jaune with her while CT-1788 just followed behind. Jaune was fully ready to spend time boosting himself up with Pyrrha's help, rather than listening to the other soldiers and superiors berating him.

However, despite her kind words, Jaune still felt that he was still leagues behind any of the soldiers he was fighting with. He had been training for the past few days with Pyrrha, but he still couldn't get out of the hard shell that had been keeping him down from fighting a conflict that he needed to be in.

For that reason alone, he felt that he was still failing her, even if progress was made, it wasn't enough to fully show how much he had grown or learned.

* * *

Republic Outpost Foxtrot,

Mad'kin Rian,

Border of Remnant System and the Outer Rim Territories,

Once the Republic had repulsed the droid attack at the valley, it was all calm and quiet for the built bases defending the planetary surface. But when people say 'calm and quiet' in Mad'kin Rian, they are either completely insane, or are rather used to the extreme environment.

 **BRAKK!**

A bolt of lightning speared right into the thick and dense jungle, causing a flame to ignite and immediately evolve into a blazing inferno in just a few seconds.

The rains of Mad'kin Rian were not enough to soak the firestorms that would occasionally occur throughout the rainforests. The overflowing abundance of oxygen in the air, as well as the rough breezes and frequent lightning storms, meant that fire could be easily spread throughout, burning their way into the forests until the rains do indeed extinguish them. It's no wonder then, that the people of the planet, and the Republic defenders for the matter, deployed base shields that surrounded their large complexes, protecting them from both the lightning strikes and the raging infernos, should they occur.

The fire burned brightly, but was still slowed by the raging rains. Eventually, the flames had reached their limit when coming into contact with a clear, bubble-like dome that covered an entire complex of landing platforms and structures, all built into a mountainous plateau.

Within the dome, clones and Remnant troops alike could move around safely without having to worry about being shocked by lightning, burnt by fires, or mauled to death by wild creatures. In fact, if anyone was too sensitive towards loud noises, then they wouldn't even have to worry about the roaring blasts of thunder, as the sounds were also blocked by the shield.

Everything was well kept underneath the shield, thanks to a military-grade generator, located just below the lowest landing pad, on the ground. The DSS-01 shield generator, built like three thick semi-circular pillars, connected together by large energy tubes that channel the power that make up the shield. The generator was under heavy protection, with Republic troopers on constant alert around the structure. A lone experimental walker was also seen patrolling from one end of the area to another.

Deep inside the base, however, someone needed a lot more than protective shielding to deal with the turmoil he was currently wound up in.

"OWWW!" Thrown to the ground, atop a spacious training arena in a sparring room, Jaune was once again going through a rough exercise session with Pyrrha. After practicing with inanimate objects and training remotes back in Pyrrha's ship, Jaune was now in the next level of training. This time, Pyrrha was the training dummy, but obviously, she was no mannequin. She was the toughest soldier out there in Mistral, and she wasn't going to stand still for him to keep him fit and focused.

Pyrrha rose above the defeated Arc, hands to her hips and shaking her head in disappointment over Jaune's quick fall. At the side-lines was CT-1788, sitting idly at a bench while watching the two spar against each other. He sat relaxed but did inspect the training very closely to find out more about their fighting styles. From his assessment, he immediately found how powerful Pyrrha was, even if it was only seen as an appetizer for what he had heard of about her. She definitely had a lot of strength for a woman, tossing Jaune around like he was some piece of cloth, and when he, haphazardly, fought back, she just threw him off and kept up the pressure.

Jaune, on the other hand, struggled to make any hit on Pyrrha, literally speaking. Every time he tried, the boy just got thrown around to the ground, flat on his back every single step of the way. The fresh private was clearly unable to make use of his training to further his combat skills, even for practice. He just couldn't bring himself to attack a girl, as his father had always instructed, much to the annoyance of his mother and sisters. This unfortunate sense of respect and dignity towards women in general had thwarted his devotion to win, to fight battles and see victory. This notion of justified reluctance was… ironically, pulling him down.

"You've got to be more in tune with your surroundings, Jaune." Pyrrha reminded. "What did I tell you back in the ship?" Jaune rubbed his head, trying to remove the collective giddiness he had sustained from his rough falls. He looked up at Pyrrha, helplessly struggling to find ground to resume his attempts at attacking his partner.

"Let the Force guide me. I know." he muttered annoyingly. "But couldn't the Force really make me better. Like… you know, give me some extra muscle or something?" It was Pyrrha's turn to shake her head, denying Jaune's hopes for a better way to fight his battles.

"That's not how the Force works, Jaune." lectured the Mistralan commando. She simply dashed Jaune's yearning to find some good in believing in the Force the way she did. "It isn't some miraculous power that gives you what you want. It's more of an energy field. It is all around us, shaping the galaxy as we know it. Reach out to it, and you can feel the peace of mind to help you focus." Once she had done explaining more about the Force to Jaune, she offered him a hand to get him back up, which he accepted and achingly rose up. He wasn't sure if he was ready to go on, but there wasn't any turning back from a sparring session with his Commander.

"I wonder that's how the Jedi Generals get so strong." At the side of the arena, CT-1788 expressed his thoughts on how the Force really worked. Given that he had seen the prowess of two such Jedi back at Christophsis, he wasn't surprised that they were truly capable of being able to use such unexplainable powers against the Separatist army.

"In a way, yes." affirmed Pyrrha. "But since we're not Jedi, we aren't able to manifest the Force into actual aspirational forms like they can. For me, there's only the belief, the understanding, and the connection. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Eh! I don't need the Force to fight my battles." To CT-1788, really, all of this was just some lousy mumbo jumbo to make the Jedi look great, despite the truth being evident to him.

"You're a clone, CT-1788." Jaune playfully retorted. "I wouldn't expect you to know voodoo or any magical powers, either."

"Spot on, kid." CT-1788 snapped his fingers, playing along with the joke. Pyrrha huffed mockingly as well, deciding to let the boys have their fun, as long as they respect her own beliefs in the Force.

"Now, let's go at it again." Pyrrha readied her shield and training staff, spinning the lone, rubbery pole while positioning her shield out at the front. Sighing, as he knew he had to resume another round of hardship and nauseating throws, Jaune couldn't back out or call quits. He had to toughen up before the next battle would come, so every bit of training had to count.

Alas, the two got back to their respective sides of the stage, ready to go at it again to bolster Jaune's strength in combat. Jaune prepared his defensive stance, knees bent down, front and back, shield out to strike out against any move Pyrrha would make. It was a new style he learned from her; one that was easily, and so obviously, exploitable to the mentor herself.

This could have been a free-for-all, no-holds-barred match, where Jaune should be adapted to making his own fighting style, instead, he was sticking to only what Pyrrha had taught him, not once thinking about even mixing up some new techniques. Unfortunately, he had no time to improvise or be creative; Pyrrha was already charging at him before he could ever have the chance. She wasn't going to be too hard on the boy, though that didn't stop her from being a bit rough to teach him a thing or two about combat.

But as Jaune steadied his shield to repel the charging teacher, he suddenly heard a loud and powerful echoing noise that completely threw out of focus.

 _ **ATTENTION! ALL TROOPS OF MY RED WRATH FORCES, PLEASE REPORT YOURSELVES FOR DEPLOYMENT, IMMEDIATELY!**_

The shrieking voice of Captain Archwick quickly frightened Jaune to make him leap in a panic. Pyrrha was quick to catch on with his fidgety jump and was forced to drag her feet to a spoiled stop. She had just slid past Jaune before coming to a stop, slightly stumbling forward from the force of her misstep. Once she recovered, Pyrrha turned towards the agitated Jaune, concerned over what spooked him.

"You okay?" She went to meet the boy and find out what was troubling him. Jaune shook off his fright and returned his attention to the attentive Pyrrha next to him. The voice announcement really crept him out, ever since the Duros started to yell at him in the most disrespectful tone possible. It was so discouraging that perhaps even Captain Soroleck back at the Academy would be put off just the same.

"Yeah. Just… a little distracted." admitted Jaune, looking a little shaken.

"By Captain Archwick?" inquired Pyrrha, remembering how berating the captain was towards Jaune, although she wasn't aware on how much he had to endure against him.

"Yeah. That guy kinda scares me." Jaune didn't want to play the victim card, knowing the intentions of Captain Archwick to be with good intentions, despite the ferocity of his threats. However, the fact that he found his tone quite aggressive still made it necessary to tell Pyrrha of what the Duros saw in him. "Ever since I've been here, he's been shouting down my face for 'failing him'."

Pyrrha thought just as much. Poor Jaune had to be humiliated by being scolded at by Archwick for being a poor excuse of a soldier. No wonder he was being so racketed with paranoia over his shrill voice. He wasn't afraid of the captain, but he was still a little ashamed that he was still being a total weakling in front of him, making him feel even more useless than he actually was.

She had to remind him once again, not to let himself be distracted by his own weaknesses. Captain Archwick may had been a captain, serving the Republic with the best of intentions, he was probably taking it one too far when dealing with Jaune. She wanted him to be capable of fighting, not to be ridiculed. He had to be a soldier, fighting against the droids and helping the army win the battle. If this kept up, Jaune would do no better than to run, cowering in the face of fear. He was hit hard enough, now the Duros had to rub it in some more. It was almost unfair to the Arc, since she was determined to make him stronger, not make him feel like some useless washout.

"You have to be brave, Jaune." she told him. "If you let Captain Archwick get to you like this, you won't be able to concentrate on any task you're given." For Jaune, however, it was more than just being able to maintain a positive outlook in his career. It was the desire to do his duties with colleagues who would see him as a worthy comrade. He knew it would take time to develop with other soldiers, but remembering what his father also taught him, first impressions were very important. All of that was wasted back in the Academy, so he would have thought that, with Pyrrha's training, he'd be able to finally put his lessons to good use. Obviously, he'd take quite a while to work on that, too.

"I just wish I can do better to impress people." added Jaune. "Show them I'm not some weakling."

"You're not a weakling." argued Pyrrha, not content on seeing Jaune punch himself so hard over his failures. "I don't think you are. You just need a little push in the right direction." She told him what she really thought of him; a hopeful who needed some direction to fulfil his goals. Jaune felt the warmth from her voice, heart finally settling to a calm. The feeling got even more touching when CT-1788 hopped in.

"Well, I've only just met you both, but if the Commander has that much faith in you, then I should too, I guess." Not as heart-felt as Pyrrha's support, but was welcomed nonetheless. A smile was seen, at last, on a boy who saw the comfort in having comrades behind his back.

"Thanks, guys." He warmly appreciated the support he was getting from the two more experienced soldiers. With his morale now boosted, Jaune nodded, heading back to his spot on the stage, while Pyrrha went her way towards hers.

The two lined up, ready for another round of sparring. This time, Jaune wasn't going to be distracted by anything else. His only focus was to better himself by fighting Pyrrha in this training session, and nothing was going to stop him.

 _ **ATTENTION!**_

Once again, Jaune was put off by the sound of the megaphones, from a clone officer shouting out to the entire base. With the volume much louder and widespread than Archwick's own call in the training room, the trio knew it was going to be very important.

 _ **ALL TROOPS! SEPARATIST FORCES ARE ATTACKING OUTPOST MIRIAM! ALL FORCES REPORT TO YOUR SHIPS, DOUBLE TIME!**_

"Sounds like trouble." Jaune didn't need to say anything. They all had the message, and they were required to comply.

"Let's go!"

* * *

Near Republic Outpost Miriam,

Mad'kin Rian,

Border of Remnant System and the Outer Rim Territories,

The armies were already raging within the jungles once more. An entire Republic outpost was already being shelled by multiple droid fire into it, almost to the point where its protective shields were about to fail, after being bombarded for an hour.

The defence of the building was tense, with the Republic barely able to push back the droids once more, with the entrenched ring around the base proving to be the deterrent needed to break the droid army to a retreat.

It was to be remembered that, due to the blistering weather conditions, it was almost impossible for transports larger than the average cargo transport ship to pass through. Only infantry craft like the LAAT gunships, which were able to deploy both troops and small walkers, could be slick and fast enough to get through the winds, only if they're lucky enough not to be struck by lightning. With this limited accessibility, it took the Republic almost years to set up an outpost.

The droids, on the other hand, could only deploy droid walkers, with the extremely rough muddy terrain making repulsorlift travel by hover-tanks completely difficult, and the aforementioned complications of the weather only added to the restricted deployment of the walkers.

Thus, the Republic technically had the advantage over the Separatists. Even so, that didn't stop the droids from taking over key structures near the enemy bases, taking advantage of the harsh conditions forced upon their organic, living counterparts.

That was what Pyrrha was sent for. She, Jaune and her new clone companion were sent to liberate a command radar station, situated at a cliff overlooking Outpost Foxtrot. The station was overrun by storming droids, with the building easily controlled with the lack of defensive capabilities; almost all of it being focused on the main bases themselves.

The radar station proved to still be essential, however, which was why Pyrrha and her team had to retake the building, by any means necessary. And for her, the necessary course of action was a quick, stealthy approach, without warning any of the other droid patrols she and her team had to avoid, on their way through the thick jungles.

Finally, she arrived, hiding within the thin, collective shadows of the odd, swirly leaves of a large plantain. She hooked her hand on one blade, lifting it to see just enough of the front entrance of the radar outpost.

She studied the entrance, determine how strong the guard patrol outside was, deduce the amount of pressure it would take to fight against it, and then find multiple vantage points, where she could secure the objective. Beforehand, she even studied the layout of the building, resulting in the clean-cut approach through the entrance, about to make sure to look out for the many possible openings she could exploit or remove any troubling guards.

Upon observation, she took a look around to find a decent amount of droids, walking about in the front metal pad, where crates and other containers were stacked all over. Two droids at the front door, standing on both sides while staring ahead at the front. Despite them being nothing more than B1 battle droids, easy to take out, it would be foolish to take them on, all at once. Other droids behind her would be alerted to the assault and the message would spread to the rest of the army.

To make sure her mission was to be successful, she had to do it the way she knew how. She could do it without fail; just rush right into the cover of crates, probably stab down the droids one by one, before lobbing a droid popper over to the last two guards outside. Plain and simple…

However, the only problem was… Her two comrades.

First, there was Jaune. From what she saw from him, Jaune had always been trained to handle open combat. He was pushed to battle when it was already being fought. No infiltration, no sneaking. Everything was done, weapons free. Pyrrha hated to admit it, but with his obvious weaknesses in his poise and combat stances, he was going to be a handicap.

CT-1788 was a clone trooper from an attack battalion, specifically made to fight in general combat. He was a standard soldier with no other specializations, other than assisting in social and communication efforts with other clones. She wasn't even aware of how capable he was in battle, even unsure of how he would fare in stealth.

Either way, both proved to be major worries. Nevertheless, Pyrrha kept her calm, breathing deeply while concentrating on devising a strategy to cope with the difficulties she was given. The two men, idly waiting behind her, were crept down, watching Pyrrha's back as she continued to survey the area.

"Okay. I see a good opening to get us in." informed Pyrrha. "Jaune, I want you to stay close."

"O-okay." Jaune nervously nodded, but Pyrrha decided to really emphasize on how close he really had to be.

" **Really** close. I need you in my sights at all times." Jaune couldn't help but feel a little humble when she requested him to be in her range. He felt a small pang of acceptance knowing that he wasn't fully trusted in handling things from a small distance, let alone being on his own. But he supposed this was how things were going to be. If he was going to be better, he was going to take it, one step at a time.

"Right, Pyrrha."

"CT-1788." Pyrrha then turned to her clone assistant. "Spot any targets for us."

"Look, I'm not against your orders, Commander." The clone voiced out his opinion respectfully. "How am I supposed to alert you if they're any droids close by? The moment I speak up, it'll raise suspicions." There was no way he was going to shout out or, at least whisper loudly to them. The occasional thunder would help to muffle his calls, but it wouldn't only be the droids who wouldn't be able to hear him.

Then, Pyrrha dug through her pocket and gave CT-1788 something. On his hands, a small wooden bar-shaped tube was given to him. Redwood was definitely carved into this curious item, decorated with a few coloured feathers, presented like some tribal trinket.

"Here." He took the object closer to his eyes, puzzled by the oddity of its design, and more of what purpose would it serve.

"What the heck am I supposed to do with this?" he asked.

"Just blow on it when a droid closes in. It will send a whistling sound, resembling that of a tropical bird. The droids will never suspect a thing." explained Pyrrha.

CT-1788 sighed. After being pelted by droid blasts here and there, you would definitely feel much safer with that helmet on. Regardless, orders had to be followed, and he had to make do of what he got. He took off his helmet, revealing his bald head. He then moved the whistle to his lips, at the ready to give the two the call when trouble closed in.

Once they were ready, Pyrrha waved her hand out, signalling to Jaune to move out, back her up and move quietly towards the entrance. Jaune bent forward, doing his best to follow silently and slowly by mimicking Pyrrha's movements.

The two slid down the hill, Jaune almost tripping on his way down the small slope, while thankfully recovering just in time to prevent any noise. Down on the same level of the base, they began their move, slowly creeping towards the nearest cover Pyrrha could find.

* * *

Moments later, the two droids outside the complex were still standing guard, watching out for any Republic intruders that would try and storm the building. Their programming prompted them to shoot immediately on sight, unless, of course, if another Separatist person of interest decided to visit the place.

Nothing new had ever happened. Like that would even matter… Their functioning made them immune to boredom. Or so organic beings thought…

"So, did you hear about the new snail tank models our boys sent out there?" said the left droid, almost prompted to speak freely. No one was going to bother anyway. They were going to be ignored… or worse, shot down and have them sent to the scrapheap, as forgotten as they were now, anyways.

"Roger, roger. Those tanks are gonna crush those Republic dogs like bugs under a… a… big tank." The other droid's voice modulator didn't really work the way it wanted.

"No new material, huh?" The robotic shaking of the first droid's head was its only response.

"Oh well. It's my programming." The second droid shrugged it off, as if already used to its lack of humour, despite being activated only a few hours ago. The droids kept on their guard, standing back in their initial, idle positions. However, when they looked back straight, where there were once the company of other guards walking around, there was nothing left.

For sure, they would have installed the presence of the other droids in their memory banks. They were gone now, like they were swept away by some unknown force. The absence of the other guards triggered the alert response in their processors, moving their arms and aiming their blasters at the now vacant space that was originally occupied.

They scanned the area with sharp turns of their abnormal heads, searching for any signs of their lost counterparts. Processing what had happened, they deduced that, perhaps, wild creatures had swept them up from out of nowhere. Worse still, maybe…?

Could the enemy…?

 **BRRRAAWWW!**

Suddenly, the droids shuddered at the vocal capture of a loud, shrilling bird call, coming for the trees. Not enough to confirm huge suspicion, but still enough to alert them. They were going to put their blasters down, confirming them to be from actual birds, and about to resume their normal positions, and their plain, simple existence…

…

…

 **BWUIM! BWUIM!**

* * *

Down and out…

Those droids, like the rest of the patrols, were all knocked out by the simultaneous fire of Pyrrha's sniper rifle and Jaune's own weapon, at her call. Jaune was elated that he was able to hit his target, especially in perfect sync with his partner's own. He could jump in excitement over his successful hit on the droid, but the mission had to come first. No time to celebrate yet.

He had to focus on the mission in front of him, tailing Pyrrha as she went, straight away, towards the door panel at the side of the doors. Jaune tipped over the wreckage of the droid he managed to shoot down and crouched down, pointing his rifle out at the area. While he watched out for her, Pyrrha got to work on the panel, carefully detaching the control panel out to get into the inner wirings. The tangled arrangement of wires and jacks were so complicated that Jaune would have a migraine if he were to work on it. Thank Oum that Pyrrha was a skilled specialist in infiltration.

All of those mandatory courses back at Sanctum Academy were worth the time and effort, allowing Pyrrha to slice through almost any terminal of Republic design, specifically for moments like this. When a Republic base would fall, she would always go for the quiet approach, analysing for an entry point, and quietly enter through there.

Jaune kept his shield up, while his blaster aimed straight, as best he could. He still trembled from a bit of fear of being attacked, expecting a surprise attack to strike back at them. Pyrrha played around with the configuration of circuitry, identifying and plugging out the cables needed to rewire the doors' systems to open them. Finally, after bringing the two ends of the cables together, they jolted in a spark, which caused the doors to open clean, providing them access to the radar outpost.

Jaune entered first, shield still up, but before Pyrrha could join him, she gave a wave towards CT-1788, who had done the task of mimicking the calls of the wild while they snuck into the base. The clone gave a noticeable salute to acknowledge her signal, crawling out of the thick plants before sliding down to join his teammates. He had to give himself some credit; the last bird whistle was merely a nice little distraction, making it louder than the previous calls he made, to get the droids' attention, as if to trigger their response before Pyrrha and Jaune took them out.

With his blaster in hand, he went to join the other two soldiers, gathering up to formulate their next phase of Pyrrha plan to liberate the station. There were going to be droids inside the base, which she wouldn't mind taking out, considering how trapped they were now. However, someone had to watch the front and report on any incoming backup from the outside.

"CT-1788." whispered Pyrrha. "Watch the door. If there's any backup coming our way, take them on, but if things get rough, you have to come back in to join us."

"Yes, Commander." acknowledged the clone, getting up right away to keep the entrance droid-free until the mission was over. With him gone, Pyrrha and Jaune could continue downwards to find the operations centre and clear the area of all droids. They descended the downhill corridor that would lead straight to the main control room. They moved on without looking back, sure that CT-1788 was covering them, to alert them when trouble was at the front door. In the meantime, the two Remnant soldiers made their way to the control room's front doorway.

They split up, each taking a side of the entrance and hiding behind the frames, backs against the wall. Pyrrha took a look over the frame, confirming the presence of two battle droids, walking around a single control terminal, above a platform. The terminal, which was several control consoles built in a circle with an opening at the centre of the cluster, had a red light, blinking periodically on the middle console. Pyrrha immediately identified that as the central piece of the puzzle; accessing through that would allow her to slice through and reconfigure the radar station to the Republic's control.

Even if the terminal was guarded by only two droids, it was guaranteed that more droids were down elsewhere in the complex, presumably on patrol for more chokepoints that other Republic soldiers would attempt to enter through. If they were going to cover those smaller areas, then they would not be expecting the front entrance, where any attack would most likely end up in disaster. And as it so happened, one such attack had happened, and no one seemed to notice.

"Two droids." Jaune informed through whispering. "They're circling around the command console. We got to shut them off without alerting them."

"I'll toss a droid popper." Pyrrha did what had to be done. Her option was pull out a standard EMP grenade, but with a little shocking surprise. She then waited for the right time for the droids to come together to deliver the maximum effect.

She waited. Listening out for the two droids coming together from both sides, she prepped her hand to toss the grenade and hit them both at the right time. Clanking, metallic steps closed in, giving her the notion that they were about to near each other. Finally, after waiting for them to get closer, she made the toss, throwing the grenade right in between the droids, right at their feet.

The battle droids lowered their heads to check the rolling object, dragging dangerously to a stop. However, their functioning clearly had a stalling flaw when it came to response to explosives. The grenade then cracked up with an echoing wail, releasing a stream of electric charge, which struck throughout the droids' bodies. The surges of power rampaged into their inner circuits until their bodies collapsed to the ground, deactivated. The implosion of the grenade, it was silent enough to avoid detection from all other droids. Thus, the control room was now left empty and out of touch from the rest of the building.

"Clear." The two soldiers moved out of their cover, still looking out for more trouble. Pyrrha walked towards the control terminal before signalling to Jaune to stand behind her while she was managing the console. Jaune felt the ease of seeing the two other sets of doors on both sides of the room closed, but was still very cautious at the possibility of the enemy coming in to check on the room.

"Okay, Jaune." Pyrrha's fingers were already at the buttons, tapping away to override control of the station back to Republic hands. "Cover me."

"Gotcha. Just got to raise my shield and keep you safe." repeated Jaune.

"Also, fire back at the enemy if they come in." reminded Pyrrha with sass.

"Right, right." Jaune kept his hands firmly gripped on his blaster and shield, keeping an eye on the doors, in case any of the droids get into the room. He kept his shield down while he knelt, pointing his blaster while his eyes scanned for any trouble.

He wasn't sure what to expect from those doors, should they open. He hoped that only the weak and frail battle droids were present elsewhere in the building, and not the larger super ones he had the unfortunate chance of fighting against previously. Their superior firepower and more durable armour was something very difficult to punch through, even with other troopers by his side. And no one should remind him of the devastating rockets they also fired from their wrists. Those wrist rockets were something he had to watch out for…

"How are you holding up?" It was already a few good minutes since Pyrrha had begun interfacing with the outpost's systems, and Jaune was feeling restless, panicked again by the long wait. At any time, the rest of the droids could barge right in and take aim at them.

"Just need a few more…" The Mistralan commando wasn't too focused on Jaune's frights, getting more into the breaching of the Separatist control over the building. It was coming close to a control transfer, with the building's systems ready to revert back into the Republic's hands. It was taking some time, however, with the complex networking of the outpost, she could only work so fast. "Clicks."

Sighing with defeat, Jaune had to force himself to be a little bit more patient, standing strong as best he could. Maybe it would be best to stand at one end of the room and prepare to take action against any droids that come in; bash them with his shield from the doors nearest to him, or shoot down more coming from the other ones.

However, there was a sudden burst of blaster fire, heard from outside the bunker. Jaune jumped at the noises, with Pyrrha slightly alarmed herself. It seemed clear that it didn't take long for the Separatists to notice that their newly acquired bunker had been overtaken. Worst still, CT-1788 was outside, definitely the only ally out there fending off the droids.

The pressure of the enemy right outside didn't seem to faze Pyrrha, however, as she still maintained her calm and pace in operating the computer. Jaune, on the other hand, was predictably on the edge of his seats as more of the enemy was about to approach.

Then, the sounds of blaster fire got louder, with the front doors opening up and then closed back a second later. Jaune looked up to find the running figure of CT-1788, scurrying down to their level. The clone finally leaned his hand against the wall, panting from the firestorm he barely escaped.

"There was too many of them, Commander." reported the clone, not making Jaune feel any better. "There's nothing I could do." Pyrrha finally stopped working, turning around to assure her friend that it was not over for him yet.

"You did well, CT-1788. Now, just help us keep this place intact." Before then, she turned back around and returned to her mission. That left Jaune and CT-1788 to fend off the droids as they herded outside the doors. CT-1788 made the hurried decision to shoot out the door panel inside the base, forcefully locking them out to buy himself time to gather his strength.

After going through with the controls and the station's systems, Pyrrha concluded, at last, finishing up by transmitting an emergency distress signal to the main Republic forces to come and take over the building. As she did so, she then locked up the rest of the building's doors to keep the other droids already inside the base, from getting into the room. However, with a large force of battle droids outside the base, it was only a matter of time before they could blast their way through the doors and eliminate them. She left the control terminal after triggering the alert signal, grabbing her weapons again, fully determined to fight the incoming battalion of droids that was about to march in.

"They're right outside. We need to hold our ground until reinforcements arrive." commanded Pyrrha.

"What are the chances of us getting out of here, alive?" Jaune asked nervously, but it was completely hushed off by CT-1788, who hurriedly stalled him from jinxing them with such pessimism.

"No, kid." He twiddled his index finger as he stopped the boy. "Never go there with the odds." Jaune gulped. At least, he was not given any exact deduction of his chances of survival. All he had to do was focus and take out as many droids as he could, and even that was still the difficult part. The trio heard a fizzing sound coming from the entrance, clearly the sign that the droids had successfully cut the lock, and were ready to storm the room.

Pyrrha stood in front of the two men, steadying her DC-17m rifle, modified into a rifle form after fixing up the necessary attachments and being rid of the previous sniper mods. Her shield firmly positioned to defend her body, she made sure that the two men were ready to fight. She and Jaune took their positions in front of the control terminal, while CT-1788 hid himself behind the pile of crates on one side of the room.

"Ready?" Jaune didn't answer, doing his best to put up a straight face. All he did to confirm that he was ready, was a simple nod. A nervous one, but still a ready sign. CT-1788, however, didn't need to answer formally. There was one thing that could excite him into going against regulation.

Destroying more droids…

"Let's go, clankers!"

Immediately, the doors opened, letting the battle droids walk right into the base. They could hear the stomping, mechanical noises getting closer until they could see the legs of the wonky droids coming down the stairs. They let their weapons loose, firing rapid blasts against them as soon as their legs came to view.

Unfortunately, the droids were lucky enough to arrive, just in time to fire back, unleashing their full barrage of laser fire. The storm erupted right away, blazing shots hitting the two Remnant soldiers' shields. The violent rattling of their shields kept the two from scoring any direct hits, forcing them to blindly shoot while protecting their faces from the droids. CT-1788, however, was able to help out with the precision. Behind his cover, he was able to sustain less of the firepower and actually shoot the droids with better aiming.

One by one, the droids began to fall, with the combined might of Jaune and Pyrrha's protective barrier, and CT-1788's precise aims. Unfortunately, the droids still proved to have the superior firepower, backed by their unstoppable numbers. The ongoing strikes against their shields were starting to push them back. Holding such heavy protection could only bring them down with the equally burdening firepower acting upon them.

The one to suffer the worst out of the bunch was Jaune. He didn't know how long he could keep it up without being shot. Soon enough, he began to feel fearful of his life again, just waiting for the time where he would end up getting shot when his guard was weakened enough. Not even the support of Pyrrha and CT-1788 could help him feel better; he was too focused on being pelted by the droids' weapons that he didn't have time thinking positively.

And that was when he completely lost his focus. After enough pressure, the hold on his shield was lost. His arm swung back after a few more shots were fired on him. That left him vulnerable to the enemy's might. Panicking from his loss of sufficient strength, Jaune had to flee back, once again falling under his cowardly shell. He let out a brief scream as he hid behind the control terminal to hide from the incoming blaster fire.

"Jaune!" CT-1788 yelled. "Get back in the fight!"

But Jaune couldn't. He was already struck hard in the heart, figuratively speaking, thankfully. He could not make the next move to recover and help assist Pyrrha. The stray bullet that knocked his balance ringed very rigidly in his ear, sending tremors down his spine and forcing him back, to fear for his life.

The coward had returned…

Pyrrha, noticing his plight, was alarmed by the sight of seeing Jaune backing away to retreat. Not that she was disappointed in him for running back, it was more of a concern for his well-being. She couldn't help but feel the need to help Jaune back up and help him fight off the droids. While firing her blaster back, she turned her head to find a way to get her partner back in shape.

That was when it was time to take a risky stand against the droids. Dropping her rifle down, she then raced forward at the droids, charging with only her shield in tow. The smaller circular shield was turned into a battering ram as it swiped the first droid with one slam. The rest of the droids tried to fire back, scrambled after the sucker punch was delivered. The shock had given Pyrrha more space to swing her shield again, swiping another droid to the chest, and decapitating another's head.

Jaune and CT-1788 were both able to see her at her most badass, watching in awe as Pyrrha rocked her way into the swarm and knocking out any droid that got in her way. The former was especially flabbergasted by how brave and ballsy she was when it came to close quarter combat. Despite her proficiency in ranged weaponry, she was just as hardcore when fighting with her bare hands. Her metal-hard punches and grand slams of her shield made short work of the enemy, littering the base with the wrecks of droids.

Pyrrha kept bashing and slicing off more and more, probably about to finally end the whole ordeal on her own. That was when she was met with another twist in the attack. When she destroyed enough droids to reach the stairs, she then looked up to see new arrivals.

"Supers!" She then retreated back when, immediately, she was greeted by the heavier blasts of the super battle droids coming down, firing their wrist blasters at her. Pyrrha quickly grabbed her rifle and knelt down. From her combat pouches, she then took out a new set of modification pieces to convert her rifle again. This time, the barrel of the blaster was much bulkier, almost enough to house in much larger ammunition. In fact, she had managed to turn her rifle into a grenade launcher; such was the wondrous advantage of owning an experimental weapon she was just rewarded by the Republic army upon her confirmation into joining the war.

The super battle droids, though slower than the B1's, were able to reach the base and fired their weapons with deadlier force. CT-1788 was just out of charges, causing him to back down behind cover to reload. However, his protection was already taking huge hits, as the crate on level with his head was swiped off in one hit. It left him at a very disadvantageous situation that forced him to move back to join Jaune at the back.

Pyrrha was now left alone to face the super battle droids on her own while Jaune and CT-1788 recuperated. She did her best to repel the heavier firing that was more of a pain to block off. She didn't help but noticed that, with the weight raining down on her, she had to exert pressure to her arm to have a better chance of withstanding the intense force.

Eventually, all of that force was too much for her, and her grip was thrown off. Her shield dropped to her side, and since the straps behind it were tightly stuck around her arm, the weight of the shield brought her body down with it. Unfortunately, unlike Jaune, the worst was about to happen.

 **BWUIM!**

"Aaah!" A blaster bolt hit Pyrrha, straight at her right leg after her stumble, causing immense pain to her foot. The blast was repulsed by the metallic boot, but it was powerful enough to sear right through it, smouldering heat burning her foot in the process.

The stinging became even more painful than she could take. Soon, she was left hurting from the shot, unable to pick up her weapons and forced to move back. Alarmed by what happened, Jaune and CT-1788 fired back at the droids, hoping to divert their attention to them. The trick seemed to work, when a lone shot from Jaune's blaster had caused it to change its targets.

Jaune shuddered at the sight of the super battle droid's menacing face, glaring right at him as it fired back at him. The memory of seeing these horrid machines earlier was giving him all sorts

Pyrrha had her back against the control terminal, as she grasped her foot. The poor, unfortunate injury she sustained for slightly losing her focus, was now stinging painfully as she backed up against the base of the consoles, while the droids fired at Jaune and CT-1788. She had no choice; the sudden reaction that caused her to tense up her muscle. It was almost unnatural for the Mistralan commando, who was best at maintaining a calm and focused mind on conflicts like this, to suddenly lose her stride and become agitated like that. Never had she struggled against dire odds with very little time to work with her demeanour. It seemed that this was one of those days that she'd finally crack under the pressure. Every soldier has had his or her mistakes, after all.

Jaune started to shiver profusely. Alarmed by the increasingly deadly situation, he knew that he couldn't shoot down all at once, already having seen his aim needing more work. He had to knock out all of the droids, at once. That was when he remembered what Pyrrha did to make such a feat.

He dug into his pouch, just at the side of his track pants, desperately trying to find the right bomb to use against the super battle droids. He rushed through to find the droid popper that he, too, was given for these stealth missions. Plus, using the EMP grenade would prove non-lethal, except for the droids, of course.

However, the problem was that he couldn't find which bomb to use.

"Which one is it?" He had five bombs altogether in his pouch. All of them looked similar to one another; three of them being thermal detonators, while the other two were the droid poppers he planned to use. Jaune cursed at himself after struggling to find the bombs for the job. He either didn't have the focus to memorize them, or he was just plain stupid to not listen at all. Regardless, he was prolonging the battle. Time was already running out, and here he was, still fighting against himself rather than the enemy.

Then, when he looked to see Pyrrha, the haunting sight of the droid moving in to finish her off rushed him into a frantic emergency.

"Pyrrha!" Without thinking once about choosing the right bomb, he quickly took one out and set the trigger to prime the charge. With one strong toss, he threw it right at the droids. But the sight of the bomb's red laser gave off a rather unpleasant sight.

"No, Arc! That's a…!" CT-1788 yelled, but it was too late. The bomb landed on the ground and skipped towards the droids, stopping right between them and Pyrrha. The super battle droids stopped what they were doing and curiously looked towards the rolling sphere. The commando they were about to execute, gasped when she saw the bomb blinking red than blue, which would have signified it as an EMP device.

It was too late for Jaune to do anything. It only took him a second late to realize what he had tossed. The thermal detonator had already made contact, and was about to blow up. He almost screamed at the thought of killing his own combat partner, because of a stupid mishap, but all he could do was grab his hair with both of his hands and grip them tighter than his hold on his rifle.

However, thinking quickly, Pyrrha rushed towards the bomb. Her other leg was still strong enough for her to move, so after crawling quickly towards the detonator, she gave it one powerful kick that sent it through the droids' legs and sent it straight into a group of red barrels.

Red, explosive barrels…

"Oh no…"

 **BBOOOMMM!**

The resulting explosion soon ignited the barrels, causing them to explode behind the droids. The engulfing fireball wasn't too huge, but it was enough to knock the super battle droids down, with pieces of shrapnel piercing into their tough exo-structure. Just enough of the droids' bodies were able to prevent any of the fragmentation from harming Pyrrha.

Despite the danger of the droids being gone, an even worse tragedy was about to happen.

The explosions then followed up in a chain reaction, igniting the metal pipes just above where the barrels once were. The pipes began to fume out flames from the cracks caused by the blast. Gas was shot out like a geyser, threatening to do more damage as the fire was building up.

Jaune and CT-1788 rushed to help Pyrrha up, slightly bothered about the damage the private had unintentionally caused. He took Pyrrha's arm and lifted her up before slumping it over his shoulder. Pyrrha's wound was still hurting her, but at least she had Jaune to help support her. But now, there was no time to thank him, or worse, talk about the foolish mistake he made. They all had to leave the building before it would blow up. There was no saving it; the pipes were rupturing by the minute, burning into jets of flames that could burn through the three if they stayed any longer.

"Let's get out of here!" CT-1788 helped lead the way, just in case there were any more droids, while Jaune helped Pyrrha move out, passing through the doorway before the flames got larger and eventually, the base was exploding from the inside.

Debris was already falling down by the time the three made it out, the ground around them shook and the fire was growing even faster. Overall, the whole structure was about to come down with a bang. As they made their way out to a safe distance, Jaune placed Pyrrha down beside a crate for her to lay down and soothe her injury. CT-1788 crouched down to tend to the wounded commando while Jaune stared at the destruction he had caused.

The building began to light up in flames before, tragically, a huge fireball swallowed up the gigantic radar dish and set the final piece of the puzzle for the devastation. The whole outpost soon started to cripple from the blazes and the damage, both external and internal, sustained from the major accident that he had done.

He had never so foolish before in his entire life of failures in military achievements. Of all the blunders he had made, this was by far the worst. This was no training simulation where he had the chance to try and try again, this was real. An entire military operation, completely failed, because of him.

Heartbreak and failure were all that Jaune felt as he dropped to his knees, still staring at the chaotic destruction of the outpost that his superiors so desperately wanted to save.

"What have I done…?"

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**


	15. Knight's Second Chance

**Only a month away until the Solo movie! Anyone excited?!**

 **No reviews this time around (why so quiet, guys** **). Nah, it's cool XD There were still some people who liked the story, so thanks to Morgawr639, poofyohio, guardianx15, Rylu2000, Liberate01, GodzillaRed-Senpai and Melancholicmelons.**

 **And now, we should get back to this long overdue chapter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Knight's Second Chance**

Republic Outpost Foxtrot,

Mad'kin Rian,

Border of Remnant System and the Outer Rim Territories,

Another day, another brutal disaster. Jaune was now standing on his own, against a completely enraged Captain Archwick, back in their base, in the captain's office, after the upsetting stalemate he had caused. He could feel the anger coming out with spits, unsatisfyingly splattered on his cheeks. If that wasn't unpleasant enough, then the unnerving ranting against him by the Duros captain really defined the failure he had been faced with.

After unintentionally bringing down the outpost that Captain Archwick wanted liberated from the droids, he was immediately brought to the captain for a rough scolding, one that Pyrrha dreadfully opposed.

The Mistralan commando couldn't bear to watch Jaune being yelled at, but she knew better not to let her emotions get in the way. She didn't know if Captain Archwick was taking it too far with his rants; the only thing that was stopping her was her etiquette, even if the feeling of standing up to Jaune was bursting inside her. Do not interfere, even if you didn't like the idea. Let the facts, or lack thereof, pour out before jumping in to the rescue.

"You, pompous scum!" Archwick yelled. "I had plans to capture that radar station and now look what has happened now!" His frantic arm swings here and there were enough to show how furious he was about the apparent foolishness of Jaune during the operation. The boy was understandably very quiet about it, accepting any ramble that Archwick threw at him.

His head was down, facing the feet of the Duros, while clasping his hands together, being unable to even peek at the fearsome face of the captain. Pyrrha was also unable to stomach the verbal punishment, despite it not being directed at her. She figured it was because Archwick saw her as a superior soldier. Yet, that should not be a factor. She didn't want the perk of being exempt from any failure, for she felt just as responsible for the results of the loss.

"That is it!" The Duros captain couldn't stand being in the presence of the worthless boy in front of him. A gruff face was all he needed to show his distaste for incompetence, wrinkled further by the lower level of shame Jaune had brought. "I shall have you court-martialled for incompetence and failure to perform in the line of action. You have ashamed your family."

Jaune still didn't raise his head, unable to respond and stick up for his defence. He accepted the harsh reality that he had failed the mission, and that, indeed, after all the lucky chances he got to get here, he still humiliated his family.

"With all due respect, sir. I was in a very tight spot. He had to save me." Finally, Pyrrha stuck up for Jaune, hopping right in to vouch for him. She stood by his side to defend her "The grenade he dropped was an accident."

"And he nearly took your life!" Archwick practically roared at her. His shouting was perhaps not to show any ill will on Pyrrha, rather coming off as a wild form of defence to her reputation, as he felt like she shouldn't be wasting her time with such a dimwit. "I don't know why you're defending such an idiot, Miss Nikos, but it's clear to me that you're growing too soft on him. It's about time you start thinking about what is best for the Republic, and there's no way a loser like him, could ever hope to win anything. Not even your own trust!"

Jaune felt the powerful sting in his heart, faced with gruesome reality that Archwick was right. He had terribly stumbled to protect Pyrrha, only going as close as to killing her. She was nearly blown to pieces if he just paid attention to what he was doing, choosing the right grenade. If anything ever happened to Pyrrha, because of him, he would never forgive himself.

"Face it, Commander." continued Archwick. "The longer you keep this fool by your side, the most likely… you will be dead." And that was the breaking point. Jaune couldn't hear any more. There was so much he could take, and the pressure was already shattering him.

Unable to look at Pyrrha's face, he turned tail and ran out the room, heartbroken by the pain he was taking from the harsh yelling.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha ran after him, ignoring Captain Archwick and exited the room. CT-1788 followed behind, before cursing mentally at the Duros for being such a sick little rat. The two rushed out of the room to find the two-way hall, looking around for the devastated recruit. All they found was other soldiers, staring amusingly at the drama that ensued, but there was no sign of Jaune, as if he had just zapped out of the area in a flash.

Pyrrha sighed after seeing that Jaune was gone, disappointed by the unfortunate events that played out. Now, she knew Captain Archwick went too far with his rebuking of the young Arc, now wishing she had done something to defend Jaune from his loudmouth madness. If only she just kept up her momentum and argue back, then she would protect the one person she was supposed to be fighting alongside. Instead, she had to stick with protocol and let another superior officer speak his mind before delivering her own verdict, and it was all too late before she could even open her mouth.

She had been forced to swallow something she always dreaded to experience in her life. Regret. The inability to stand up for her friend and not letting herself have a voice against the situation now left her with a sour taste in her mouth, a stab in the heart. In shock of the sudden occurrence of Jaune rushing out, she was now blaming herself for letting the boy down.

Pyrrha had to think of a way to fix things with Jaune, even if she knew he wouldn't blame her, but rather himself, for the failure of the mission. She trailed off towards her ship, assuming that was where he could run back to. With CT-1788 in tow, she slowly took time to think about her own faults, wondering how she would have been if she actually made an effort to justify his partnership with her, while also thinking about what to do now.

"Way to go, Arc." Suddenly, from out of the blue, she could hear some of the other soldiers, who probably caught Jaune running off to who knew where.

"Yeah, what a loser." another soldier, a Nikto, grunted with laughter. "I can't believe the Arc family has to go down with him. Pitiful." The other soldiers simply cackled their amusement at the sight of the pathetic soldier who just cried his way to humiliation. They bellowed at the misery of another, and that was not making Pyrrha any happier.

By contrast, she was, finally, infuriated; another unfamiliar feeling that she hadn't been known for. Not only did they have the nerve to make fun of someone's else's dread, but they also thought he was nothing more than a waste of space, shaming his family just by being here in the army. She understood that Jaune may have seemed a bit ridiculous in their eyes, but did they really have to be so flamboyant about it?

Once she had heard enough, Pyrrha would do the one thing she thought she would never do. She could just walk away, not bothering about the people who would disturb her, and resume to whatever she was going to do. Now, however, things were going to change…

Pyrrha stormed right for the men, and proceeded to grab one of them by the collar. She pulled him closer, with a glare just as deadly as her accuracy with a sniper rifle. Her docile green eyes, now flashing out a venomous stare that could make a sando aqua monster swim off back into the depths of the Nabooian ocean. The rookie was almost on the verge of sweating upon seeing Pyrrha shoving her anger at him, just like how Jaune would normally run.

"You speak like that to him, one more time, and I'll give you something to go down for." Again, Pyrrha was giving off more unlikely vibes that would make people wonder, if this was really the calm and calculating Pyrrha Nikos, who was always complimenting or motivating troops wherever she went. Her voice was like that of Captain Archwick, only she was burning with even greater passion for her teammate than that Duros would ever show for.

The recruit merely nodded, frightened stiff by her deadly gaze. The other soldiers were just as scared by the sudden outburst of Pyrrha. Satisfied, but not so gently, she let go off the recruit, landing him down on his feet as he stumbled clumsily. She didn't have time to even look at them for another second; she just stomped off to go looking for Jaune. CT-1788 took one good look at the frightened trio before snickering, punching his fist into his other palm.

"And I'll have the share of the fun." And just like that, the two were off, leaving the soldiers to shiver and live down the fear that they sustained from being forced on by Pyrrha Nikos.

Pyrrha didn't really like the idea of attacking people like she did. She always found herself meditating to loosen her nerves, and thus, maintained a tranquil presence on the battlefield. She would try her best to not tremble down to anger, as it was one of the many factors to an individual's downfall within the Force. And despite all of her efforts to remain calm, she had lost her balance. She felt very stunned, knowing that she had unintentionally allowed herself to be angered like that, and yet, even if it was out of the blue, she couldn't help but feel… good?

No, it was hurting inside that she had to vent out her frustration towards others, and now, she had another painful subject to focus on.

* * *

Eventually, after searching around, Pyrrha managed to find Jaune moping outside the _Sanctum's Pride_ , leaning against the railing of the platform, where it was docked on. However, when she neared the boy, he said nothing, even if he knew Pyrrha was close by. Not trying to call him once, she fell silent with him, choosing to stand beside him while leaning her back against the same railing, with her elbows resting on it. CT-1788 was inside the ship, managing an after-action report on his missions with Pyrrha.

The scene was as quiet as the emptiness of space itself, only accompanied by the lowest of rumbles from the sounds of thunder from outside the shield dome. Contemplating about their respective concerns, they didn't have the time to even talk to each other about themselves.

For Jaune, it was the depressing thought of failing to live up to his expectations, to make both the Arc family and Pyrrha proud. He vowed to get stronger, be fit to fight, and come home a proud and victorious young man; someone who could get the attention he so deserved. The dreams of being surrounded by people, cheering him on, with a woman on each side, and a bottle of Merenzane Gold in his hand. Alas, those desires were now nothing more than delusions of grandeur, dreamt out by a little boy who could not fight a real war.

Pyrrha was also in a predicament on her own, if not **two**. First, she had to explain herself to Jaune, on why she was unable to stand up for him when he needed the backup, and that she was still devoted to train and work with him, to find his inner warrior. She wasn't one to give up on even the most hopeless cadet or the worst of commanders. She would give them a shot at justifying their opinions, or proving themselves in their darkest or greatest hours. It was a habit that, ironically, led her to not fight Archwick's argument.

Another brewing conflict inside of her was the dilemma involving her recent attack on the soldiers who tried to make fun of Jaune. She never stumbled that low to giving into her anger, always doing her best to suppress loss and impatience in her heart, toning herself with the Force around her. In the end, the first stages of her time with Jaune had unlocked the dark emotions inside of her. It was painful and yet, coldly satisfying at the same time, but that had exposed her to feelings that she did not wish to have. Feelings of anger that would tarnish her spiritual self. Both soldiers were both unable to speak, thinking about how to solve their problems and finally be rid of their discomforts.

"I'm such a failure." Finally, Jaune moaned, digging his face behind his hands. Pyrrha bolted to his aid, forgetting about herself to comfort the boy.

"Now, don't say that." assured Pyrrha. "Captain Archwick's just being rough on the edges, that's all." Yet, she didn't know what else to say. Jaune just remained where he was, still hiding his face in shame of ever looking at the one person who actually cared for him; the person he almost killed.

Somehow, Pyrrha knew it had something to do with what he did that almost took her life. She understood how traumatized he might have been after nearly killing her, because of his mistakes. "Jaune." She placed her hand on his shoulder, attempting to shake him off his depression. "You can't just give up. You've only been fresh out of the Academy for a few days now."

"I should have stayed there." argued Jaune. "Captain Soroleck's right. I'll never be able to prove myself."

"Come on, Jaune. We have to keep working on your skills. Just trust in the Force, and then we can…"

"Look!" Suddenly, Jaune erupted, his insistence finally broken. Disappointment in himself turned to anger and fear. He could not bear to think about losing Pyrrha because of himself, and it all brought him to a state of disbelief to extreme heights. "Can't you see?! I'm worthless! I can't even remember what grenade to use to save my own life! How could I ever expect to live myself down if I had actually killed you?!"

Immediately, after shouting out against Pyrrha, Jaune shut himself up, gasping at realization of his own volume of voice. He retreated back, shocked at his own voice and instantly regretting it. His body tensed at his sudden rage, unintentionally scaring Pyrrha herself, as she also backed off upon feeling his anger. He almost felt the urge to sob, abashed of what he had become; nothing more than a weak link in her career and reputation.

"I'm sorry, Commander." he apologized with haste. Unable to face Pyrrha gain, he had to escape the scene, not wanting to hurt her anymore. "I just… need to be alone." Pyrrha wanted to stop him, but she knew that he was already beyond ashamed to speak up to her. The only thing she could do to salvage her misgivings was to let him go to calm down elsewhere.

"Understood." She gave him a knowing nod, sending him off back into the ship. As Jaune disappeared to let his nerves simmer down, Pyrrha was left outside, pondering over what to do now. Jaune was now even less of the soldier she hoped for him to be. All because she was unable to be the partner for him and help him stand his ground to prove himself that he was meant to be on the battlefield. Now, he was a wreck, and it was her responsibility that he had fallen into this state.

As the rains continued to pour down outside the shield and the flashes of lightning blinking all over the place, Pyrrha shook her head, rubbing her forehead over the stress and weight of the situation. If Jaune was ever going to consider leaving, then she had to make an effort to move forward and set things right.

Once CT-1788 descended from the ramp, he walked towards Pyrrha, and saw her walking off back into the base. Questioning her next move, he quickly followed her. He could see the new cross look on her face, noticing the rough motions of her walking, as if she was ready to fight the enemy once more.

"Where are you going, Commander?" he asked. Pyrrha simply stopped, not looking back at him, only turning her head by a small angle. And with a simple but straightforward answer, she sounded like someone about to make an epic step into a new problem.

"To do what needs to be done." And just like that, she began to walk off to figure out how to move on with Jaune. CT-1788 feared the worst. He looked back at the _Sanctum's Pride_ , hoping that she was not thinking about doing the one thing he assumed would hurt her. He began to worry about the Arc, because if Pyrrha had taken Captain Archwick's words to heart, then things were certainly not going to look good for him. Perhaps Pyrrha certainly did have had enough trouble with Jaune… Maybe, she did want to make sure Jaune would be sent back home, as to ensure that he wouldn't get hurt himself.

CT-1788 may had only Jaune for a few agonizing hours, but he felt that the human boy did not really deserve this rejection from her. The clone followed Pyrrha to wherever she might have gone to, constantly worried that she would do something that she would later regret…

* * *

Within the _Sanctum's Pride_ , Jaune sat helplessly on his bunk bed in a small sleeping room, filled with nothing more than a small desk to place his personal belongings, such as his weapons, with the sword leaning against the shield on the wall, some of the family photos featuring him, his parents and his many sisters. He could look at the possessions he had gained, fearing that it would remind him of how much he had fallen. If he ever even peeked at those photos, he would envision the disappointed faces that would replace those, otherwise, happy ones, leering down at Jaune as they would probably see him as the waste of space who failed to live up to the name and pride of the family.

The moment he was yelled upon, he sheltered himself from everyone, even Pyrrha and CT-1788. It was just like his first troubling **years** , not days, in the Academy, where he stumbled to find any comfort or company to back him up. Not many friends would come to his aid, and when the semester ends, they would go off to become real soldiers, while he lagged behind. Now, that he was here, in actual war, he did not have the supportive company of those like Kormal, his Bothan friend, in the safety of city walls and planetary defences.

Out there, he was left with another hardcore warrior. A warrior that he tried to listen to, and followed through from her training of the boy, but he could do very little to progress. The result was a slow, shaken start to his career, about to be shattered by the fact that he nearly killed off the only person who would take him up under her wing.

This was why Jaune had to consider the option he so needed to make. For far too long, he'd be living a dream that could only be a mere nightmare. Hardships and tribulations had only proven how worthless he was, unable to fight bravely against a cruel galaxy. Eventually, he had to come to the decision to finally want out, not wanting to shame those around him anymore.

"I've got to get back home." he murmured to himself, with the devotion once promised to make him stronger, now only used to push himself away from the conflict. "I can't humiliate my family anymore, and I can't get Pyrrha hurt because of me…" Finally, he stood back up and marched out of the room, ignoring any of the personal on board in Pyrrha's ship.

Jaune knew he had to report his decision to withdraw to the mad man himself, Captain Archwick, but he supposed it'd be one last look into the strict nature of his surroundings. Now, contemplating about what he would be after he returned home, he would feel hopeful, knowing that Pyrrha can function without him to ruin her chances. In fact, if he thought about it, if this was what he wanted, then Pyrrha would be more than willing to do it herself, to see that his wishes be fulfilled, so that she could move on and operate like any famous soldier would.

It was for the best, after all…

* * *

Jaune was already outside the quarters of Captain Archwick, constantly beating himself inside, trying to get the courage to face the strict Duros captain. He was almost ready to finally leave the army and allow Pyrrha to go on without him, almost certain that Archwick would have enjoyed seeing him being kicked out so easily. He paced back and forth, thankful that no one was there to rub the insults into his wounds.

Finally, after hesitating for a good few minutes, he was about to enter the room and end it all for him. But, just as he was about to step forward and face the captain, he turned to the corner where it would lead him to the hallway and where the captain's quarters were, to find someone he didn't want to meet at this moment.

Suddenly, he quickly hid behind the corner and saw Pyrrha, walking tensely into the captain's quarters, with CT-1788 to back her up. Once the two entered, Jaune wondered if his fears were coming true; that Pyrrha was indeed tired of his incompetence, pushed by Jaune's earlier verbal lash against her to finally take action and see to his removal from service. It was starting to feel very bad for Jaune. He already urged himself to do the work himself, but now seeing that Pyrrha was about to do it, his depression grew, and so was his curiosity about how she was going to do so. The feeling of failure intensified with his disappointment over the clear signs of Pyrrha's own dissatisfaction of him.

He might as well just face the music, sneaking over to the door and peeking over to sneak a look at the conversation that was about to unfold, ready to come forth and accept his path out of the army.

While he was looking, though, Pyrrha had no idea that the boy was outside, not even catching him outside before she went in. Her mind was set on resolving the pressing issue of Jaune's reluctance to fight on. She had already made up her mind, setting an objective to settle the debate, once and for all. As soon as she went in, she could see Captain Archwick, reviewing some reports on the closable datapad, custom-made with Remnant-exclusive features in and out of the device. The _Scroll_ , as it was called, was soon closed tight, just as Archwick noticed the Mistralan commando coming into his room.

Not to be rude, he thought, but Pyrrha could have just waited outside and knocked, at least letting him know that she was requesting a visit. Of course, no harm done; all he could now was to force his courtesy out in the face of a superior commander and welcome her in.

"Miss Nikos. Your arrival was unexpected." Pyrrha didn't really care less, walking in front of the Duros' desk and stood at attention. CT-1788 stayed aside, leaning against the wall next to the doorway, standing dangerously close to a peering Jaune.

The boy gulped, worried stiff over what Pyrrha might say about his lack of abilities in battle. He was prepared for the truth that was about to come out from her mouth, as she would explain to Archwick about how crucial it would be for him to return home with no chance of entering the army. He couldn't expect anything else, just to accept his fate as a washout from the military.

"Captain Archwick." Pyrrha began. Jaune braced himself for the stinging words to come out. "Private Arc is my responsibility. I should have been more attentive to his duties in battle. If anyone is to be put on trial for the failure of the mission, it shall be me."

Jaune didn't understand. He was sure Pyrrha had had enough of him. Now, she was still defending him, even after all of the mishaps he did. She looked so determined to meet the demands necessary. Were those demands meant to keep him here, instead of getting him out? Why would she want to have him around after he nearly killed her?

Captain Archwick sure didn't really like the idea, so much so that he made a light chuckle while holding out his palm, advocate on getting the course of kicking Jaune out on check.

"Please, Commander." he insisted politely. "There's no need for that. After all, Arc simply volunteered to do the job himself."

"At my behest." reminded Pyrrha, making Jaune even more touched that she still had faith in him. However, there was also a sense of hurt when he realized that she was also putting herself at risk of being questioned.

"I appreciate your concern, Commander. But Private Arc is simply too unfit for combat and should never be put into service again." The Duros stood up, walked away from his desk to meet Pyrrha, while he defied the chance for Jaune to stay. "He has failed to accomplish, not one, but **two** simple objectives that could have won us this battle and saved more troopers from being casualties. Face it, Commander. He's worthless."

Deep inside, Jaune felt that he was telling as much. Even if Pyrrha was by his side, Captain Archwick was still right about him; that he was nothing more than a simpleton, who wanted to make his family happy, only to make himself miserable and weak.

Pyrrha kept up with her word. Jaune may had been a little rough on the edges, but he was, by no means, a worthless soldier. He didn't really need much help; he just needed a little push to get him back in the right direction. Thus, she wanted to let him know that he still had a chance to prevail and do great things in his career, allowing him to become the warrior he always wanted to be for his family.

Captain Archwick did not stop explaining about the reasons Jaune would never make it into the army, sounding like he was right about everything, with pride and smug written in his face.

"I'll tell you what. I shall prepare an arrangement for a proper replacement for you to be your new combat assistant." The captain offered with coy, thinking Pyrrha might enjoy the idea of having someone replace Jaune. The boy outside certainly thought it would be for the best. Clearly, if Pyrrha still wanted to have a partner, she'd be better off with someone more of her calibre. "That little boy should go back home where he belongs. We wouldn't want him lost in the big galaxy now, would we?" Archwick returned to his desk, pulling a drawer out, fiddling through a line of files stored within, searching for the one that detailed Jaune's dossier. "Now, when would you like me to prepare the next session?"

Pyrrha crossed her arms together, about to finally have another round of her devotion show and prove to Archwick that Jaune was still compatible with her ideals. Honestly, however, Jaune wanted the drama to end, not wanting Pyrrha to get herself in trouble because she was defending a meek little kid like him. He was about to burst right in and insist that he would voluntarily leave the army by himself, when Pyrrha finally opened up, determined to put Archwick in his place.

"Never." One word, out like an order to a battalion of soldiers, and it was all it took the snap everyone at attention. Her fire felt, her voice greatly heard, Pyrrha Nikos was not going to betray a friend she was willing to make and help.

"Excuse me?" Archwick caught the signs, and immediately felt the urge to fight back some more. Apparently, so was Pyrrha.

"I decline your offer, Captain." Her fists clenched, muscles tensed further by the frustration towards the ignorance she was faced with.

"Are you seriously rejecting the necessary course of action?" urged Archwick. Pyrrha kept up her momentum, fighting back to keep Jaune's place intact.

"The necessary course of action is for Jaune Arc to continue fighting for what he wishes to fulfil, and as his combat partner, I am willing to train him more. My decision is final."

"If you're seriously thinking that, that… **boy** … could ever stand a chance in this war, then I'm afraid you've grown a little blind, my dear." argued Archwick.

"Am I the one who's blind?" Pyrrha spoke, this time, with venom, often saved for those of the spiteful bunch. "Or have you been smudged with all that pitiful sense of glory of yours?"

"Why?! Commander Nikos! This is absurd!" The captain refused to let himself be downed by someone, because she was defending a poorly developed soldier, who would most likely cause the downfall of an entire army, should he be allowed to play at his own devices.

Unfortunately, in Pyrrha's eyes, that poorly developed soldier, just so happened to be right in front of her own eyes. Finally, she decided to let her attitude do the talking. Once again, she had to resolve to letting her frustration take its course. This time, she would concentrate her energy on delivering her strength of words, not her physical power. She would focus her drive to show Archwick what she truly felt, instead of straight up violating him with her fist alone.

"Listen here, _Captain_." she uttered, with eyes shooting at the frightened Duros like daggers. "I have made my choice. And when I make that choice, I expect it to be accepted at the best of my understanding. Jaune Arc may not be well equipped or suited for war, but he is far more loyal and devoted to what he believes in than you would ever be."

Jaune heard it loud and clear. This was probably the point where he fully realized how devoted Pyrrha was to training a low-class soldier like him. She truly cared; she had chosen him to fight alongside her, when no one else, not even his friends, ever thought of him coming out of the Academy to be fully accepted into actual duty. And even when he made a critical mistake, it seemed that she forgave him. He couldn't remember anyone ever sticking up to him at this stage. It was like she was a guardian angel, an individual destined to take him out and put him through the tough challenges that he so desired to face, despite his timid nature. He couldn't help, but feel regretful. Regretful of his decision to leave the army… To leave Pyrrha…

"So, if you wish to defy my opinion on him, then perhaps you would like to speak to the Mistral High Command, so you could arrange an argument?" Pyrrha trusted her superiors, just as they trusted her. And for a Vacuoan like Archwick, it was the sudden realization that he could have been close to sparking a debate between planets. He wouldn't want to be the cause of an interplanetary crisis, minor or otherwise. He was too proud to make such a scene; uncommon amongst other Vacuoans, who were mostly more laid back and isolated from conflict. If anything, any judgement she made, she could be sure that they would respect them the best they could, even if a rookie cadet was chosen to become her partner. "Do you understand my resolve now, Captain?" Captain Archwick was finally done with panicking. The look on Pyrrha's face really gave him the creeps. Pyrrha even believed that he was still blissfully unaware that this would be the same feeling that he had forced upon many of his men.

"Y-yes, ma'am…" It was almost satisfying to hear him tremble in astonishment, but deep down, Pyrrha knew that she was going to face the consequences of her rant, so she decided to let him know in advance of any inconvenience she may have caused.

"I will be taking Private Arc back into my personal command. And I shall report myself to Command of my failure to guide him through." She hated to say 'failure', but she was one to not like the idea of dishonesty; a trait far worse than physical violence. Thankfully, however, she would take comfort, knowing that it was **her** own failure, not Jaune's. She soon stormed off, leaving a stunned Archwick to recover from the shock of Pyrrha's relentless assault on his ego. CT-1788 was certainly impressed, and so was Jaune. But upon seeing her walking off, the boy retreated back to the previous corner from where he walked from, watching as Pyrrha walked off the other direction, with CT-1788 right behind her.

"Wow, Commander." Jaune could hear the clone assistant commenting on her actions. "You've got some guts there. But you do know you could get into trouble from the other Commanders out there, right?" Pyrrha only made a knowing grin, grasping her hand on his shoulder, with the truth that she was about to share.

"Trouble always seems to find me, wherever I go, CT-1788."

With them gone, Jaune could now stop panicking, slumping down to the ground, with his back leaning against the wall as he slid down and sunk his face into his knees. Having heard what Pyrrha had to say, the weight was now on a new dilemma. He was now assured that he had a chance to fight on, backed by a reputed Commander who would do whatever it took to see that her mission to train him would be completed. But now, he had to worry about what her defence was leading them to. With Archwick sure to be offended by the outburst, it was only a matter of time before word would reach out over Pyrrha's apparent opposition to his demands. After all, he was still the head of the operations on Mad'kin Rian, so there was a good chance that Pyrrha would end up being at the receiving end of a slur of reports against her from Command.

At the end, he still ended up blaming himself, still feeling responsible for putting Pyrrha in this situation. However, with the same problem, there was yet something new, brewing up inside of him. A different feeling that propelled him to find a new way to solve his problem.

He was no longer going to run away. He was taught to put his skills to the test and fight, not cower away. If he had to fight for something, and someone, he had to prove it by being a competent soldier. No more hiding or running; there was only one thing he could do to make up for his misfortunes, and the effects they played on those around him.

He was going to make things right… by himself.

 _I know what I must do now_ …

* * *

 _The next day…_

It wasn't long since Pyrrha had stormed into Archwick's office. She expected a call from High Command of her actions, or perhaps something from the captain himself. Alas, she was still in the clear, with nothing happening to her for the next day.

She was just content on staying in her ship, just getting up from a night's sleep. Thank Oum that the force field of the base had kept the blasting noises out from disturbing her sleep. Other than that, she still had the fire in her heart, burning brightly after her defence of Jaune. Speaking of whom, she couldn't help but worry. After returning from the captain's office, she thought she'd return to the ship and just sleep off the night. Before going to bed, she had the urge to visit Jaune, who, she would have guessed, was still in his room, upset over his failures. She wanted to knock on the door and comfort him some more, but knowing that the first time had seen her fail, she wouldn't want to make things complicated the second time. Thus, she just left him, unaware that, by the time she got to bed herself, he was still not back.

In fact, now that she was fully dressed and ready for the next set of chores on the battlefield, she went into the room of the Arc, only to find an empty bed, kept tidy and untouched. She noticed the small signs of bumps on the bed, telling her that Jaune had sat there, and had just left the bed that way. This was when the worries grew even heavier.

She went out to find Jaune in the base, exiting the ship to find no sign of the boy, anywhere on the platform. The rains outside still showered down with the force of an orbital bombardment, only without the explosions or any signs of the shield being weakened. A flash of light and a low rumble caught her off guard, slightly startling her. Her worries for Jaune were probably to blame for the near-scare, keeping her off focus from the smaller things around her.

Nevertheless, she went on, pressed to find Jaune and settle things with him. She eventually found herself in the base's mess hall, where lines of tables filled the room with soldiers, helmetless but still in their armour, chowing down on the less-than-savoury blobs of mashed up food being served to them by a waitress droid at the food counter. She scanned the room, hoping to find Jaune among the menagerie of Remnant soldiers and clones sat down at their tables. She hoped he was sitting alone, or else, he would be picked on by some of the other soldiers, who would want nothing more than to mess with him, and bully him to make him feel even worse than before. Unfortunately, after looking around, she could still hardly make out the blonde kid among the usual black and brown-haired, as well as the bald heads across the room.

She did, however, notice someone else that peaked her interest. Pyrrha walked on, ignoring some of the boys trying to vie for her attention and had her sights straight on the clone, sitting idly by himself on the other end of the room. She could see him, nonchalantly eating up his meal, almost finishing it up, when she stepped up in front of him.

"CT-1788." she called, stirring his attention. "Have you seen Jaune anywhere?" CT-1788 swallowed up his fill, not wanting to speak with his mouth full.

"Negative, ma'am." said the clone. "I have not seen the blondie since we were at the ship." He then noticed the concerned look on her face, with her brows noticeably furrowed with worry. "Is there something wrong?" Pyrrha didn't say anything for a second, not even going to sit down at the other end of the table to talk to the clone.

"I have not seen him since that time, too. And right now, I can't find him anywhere." She thought to herself about what he was doing at this moment. She really hoped that he wasn't in any trouble, or she'd have to do a little bit more to set Jaune straight. "I just hope he hasn't done anything stupid." Finally, after sipping up the last of his blue milk, CT-1788 rose up from his seat and proceeded to carry the now empty tray and glass back to the counter.

"Well, I'm kinda worried myself." said CT-1788, as he stood up and walked to drop the tray on the counter for the waitress droid to clean it up. He then headed back to Pyrrha, grabbing his helmet and holding it in his arm. "Shall we take a look around the base?"

"Let's." Pyrrha nodded. The two then began to leave the cafeteria and off to find Jaune, wherever he was.

The trip around the base took a while to get used to. They had been walking around for an hour and, still, no sign of Jaune Arc, anywhere. He was not in the _Sanctum's Pride_ , not in the training room where they last sparred, or even in Captain Archwick's office. The search came out fruitless, only finding just the usual business around the base.

Pyrrha was starting to get anxious. All this time, her meditation techniques were not doing her any favours. She wasn't perfect, believing well enough that she wasn't as in tone with the living Force as much as she truly felt, but the absence of Jaune was putting her in a tight spot. Fearing the worst, she had to resort to finding other ways to locate him.

Eventually, she came across the supply zone, with large shipments of supplies and other materials being loaded off to reinforce the base and its manpower. Upon laying her eyes at the base of one of the control towers, she could see a lone soldier, leaning lazily next to the door, while doing nothing other than gazing at the large containers being carried off into the gunships.

Recognition seemed to cross her eyes, realizing that she had seen the soldier somewhere. The soldier had messy black hair, a rough build of face, and, most of all, his right eye was covered with a bandage that immediately gave Pyrrha the clue that stood out the most.

"Trooper." She walked right for the soldier, who just turned his head coolly. "You served with Private Arc, didn't you?"

"Yeah." confirmed the trooper. "I know the bloke." Pyrrha shook off her discomfort at hearing the word used to describe Jaune, going for the question right away.

"Well, do you know where he is now?" she then asked again. The soldier just rolled his eyes, as if not caring the slightest bit about Jaune.

"Dunno." Pyrrha was just about to turn around in disappointment for another dead end. Then, the soldier continued to add on, causing her to stop in her tracks. "But I remember him saying that he wanted to 'make things right'. Though, I can't possibly know what the hell his problem was." She knew, indeed. There was no denying that Jaune was still dealing with the repercussions of the last operation, blaming himself for the failures and the near-fatal accident he caused. She now had to wonder; where did he go next? The soldier decided to finish up by selling out a horrid detail. "He took a speeder and just ran off."

"What?!" Pyrrha gasped, shocked that Jaune had gone off, into the wilderness and away from the protection of the base! She could not believe he could go running off doing who knew what. More concerning, though, was the question of why he would run away like that?

If Pyrrha had to make a guess, then she'd be stuck with a whole bunch of assumptions. She couldn't get why Jaune would go off on his own, without notifying her, her crew, or even CT-1788 of his whereabouts. Just what would he do to figure out the problems he was having up to this point? The time for answers, however, would have to wait. She had to find him, and she knew of a way to do it. "We have to go find him."

"Eh, why bother?" Suddenly, the soldier spoke with the absence of sympathy. "Besides, that little punk would only slow you down. Why need him, anyway?"

"Trooper." CT-1788 asserted himself into the fray, pointing a finger right up the man's face. "A soldier could be putting himself in the firing line, and all you're going to do is stay here and let him die?" The man shrugged. Now, both Pyrrha and the clone were getting riled up. However, they didn't have the time to be picking fights with anyone, especially after what Pyrrha had to go through yesterday. Pulling CT-1788 away, they just left the soldier to be on his own, focusing on finding Jaune, and even more on what he was doing at this time.

"Never mind. He's not worth it." Pyrrha told him. "We'll just have to find him ourselves. I just hope he activated his tracking beacon to let us know where he is."

* * *

Unfortunately, Jaune had not activated his tracking beacon. In fact, he didn't want to. He did not wish to let his comrades be part of his next plan. The plan to redeem himself. After going through a period of depression and self-doubt, it was finally time for Jaune to do something he would not regret.

Okay, maybe a little regret…

Nevertheless, he sped through the vast jungles, across the clear path paved by observation teams after cutting through the rough vegetation. These dirt roads linked the main base to other key points across the area, and, as it so happened, Jaune was on his way to find one of them.

As far as he heard, the Republic had lost yet another crucial location to the droid army. It was a small supply outpost, containing weapons and munitions needed to further nourish and arm the troops on the planet. Jaune planned to reach the base and set off an alarm system that could alert the main base of the enemy's presence there. Once the program was set on, he could send a signal to have them send reinforcements, reminding the main base that there was a supply outpost in need of liberation. Jaune saw this as the perfect opportunity to finally make up for lost time and progress of himself.

The fears did not waver off, though, as he knew he was going to do this 'mission' alone. No back up to save him, but more importantly, no back up meant that he would not put others in the firing line, just because of his incompetence. He was going to prove to all that he was still a capable soldier, someone who could help Pyrrha through the war. If she instilled hope in him, then he was all in on returning the favour.

Eventually, Jaune stopped his speeder in the middle of the path, skidding just before the turn that would lead him to the supply outpost. He stepped off the bike and jumped onto the muddy ground, as he eyed the rest of the road that would take him to his destination. Remembering his last mission, he looked around for any enemy patrols, turning his head, here and there, to find anything that might jump out and attack him. After waiting a while, he finally took his leave and ventured off onto the pathway, sneaking closely to the side of the road to watch out for enemy guards on the way.

The journey to the outpost was rather… freaky. It was typical for Jaune to constantly worry about his surroundings, fearing of the moment he'd be pounced at by some vicious predator from the bushes or from above the trees. There was no guarantee he would arrive safely at his destination. Almost completely blinded by the darkness of the stormy skies, with his eyes pelleted by constant rain drops, he couldn't keep his sights properly onto his path. He had to worry about being mauled to death, or worse, discovered by the enemy and have the whole dreadful feeling of failure dropped down on his shoulders. With any luck, a King Taijitu would jump out of nowhere to strike him down with no remorse. Yep, the thought being skewered to death by a large snake was enough to give Jaune all sorts of feels of fear.

Regardless of how he felt, he had to keep going, resolved for redemption above anything else, not just for him, but for Pyrrha as well. His determination to right his wrongs and make her feel proud was enough to push him into the bushes and brush through the tough vegetation, towards his objective.

Finally, after such a frightful trek through the lush jungle, Jaune had finally got the outpost in his sights. However, instead of taking the main route all the way, he decided to go for the riskier approach. Once again, he had to brave the dangers of the jungle and sneak his way towards the small rocky cliffs, where it towered over the forest floor and the base below. With his shield deployed and his blaster at the ready, he made the daring move and pushed himself into the forest, on alert for any predators that might be lurking around waiting for him.

Luckily, it didn't really take him long to reach the end of the cliff. He reached out from the thickness of vegetation, to peer out and have the full sight of the outpost right before his eyes. The outpost looked more like a square frame of walls, surrounding the huge amounts of cargo and supplies docked inside, while the whole base was under the visual range of a control tower, spiralling over the whole area. Then, he took out a new pair of macro-binoculars he took from the ship and proceeded to scan out for any signs of trouble, and entry points that he might use.

Slowly, he managed to get the hang of using the binoculars after all of those hunting trips he once went on with his family. Turning the dial round and around, he zoomed in and out, memorizing every single battle droid he could find. The patrols in the area were significantly heavier than the radar outpost. Battle droids were marching about in squads of six and eight, as opposed to the easier pairs. At the main entrance, he could see four battle droids guarding the huge doors at once, while more droids patrolled on the walls. The control tower itself had a single battle droid, watching over the area with a spotlight flashing about. The worst of them all, at the wrecked speeder bike parking lot just next to the doors, was a small, domed droid walker with two big red eyes and a nose-cannon, built over four bent legs, bringing it down to a low attitude.

Jaune had all sorts of ways flushing around his mind about how he was going to infiltrate the base and reach for the failsafe program at the control tower. He could jump over from the trees and land safely over the patrols, or maybe toss a few poppers from the darkness of the forest like some master assassin. All the many things he could do as a soldier on the…

No. Childish delusions, he reminded himself. He had to stop thinking like some glorified hero and find a proper, sneakier way in. He scanned the area again, searching for the little opening that might get him in. Then, just as he turned to the very left side of the outpost's walls, he found a small entrance section of the outpost. Guarded by only two droids, the entrance was just a stone's throw away from where he was, making it an easy trip. However, there were still the outer droid patrols walking about, presenting a plausible threat to the boy.

Still, he could make the run towards the entrance by waiting for the right time for the patrols to move away. There was some form of cover with only the barricades remaining that he could sneak around the two guards.

Thus, the strategy has been set. Now, all Jaune had to do was make his way over to the side of the entranceway and creep around the guards. His determination fired up, he began to make his move, to finally prove himself that he was worthy of fighting the Clone War.

After sliding down at the rocky cliff, Jaune ran right for the entrance, rushing to the side just as the patrol group walked a safe distance away from him. He moved as fast as he could while crouching down to avoid making any loud noises with his steps. Walking closely down like a tusk-cat on the prowl, he managed to avoid detection and reach the next stop at the shelter building nearby. Peeking right over the corner, he could see the two droids just outside the door. Judging by the distance between the droids and the doors into the base, Jaune deduced that he could sneak up behind them. He just needed to be very quiet and very careful in his approach, silently inserting his code cylinder into the control panel and enter the base.

Coming out of his spot, he crept up at a cautious pace, keeping his eyes on the two droids as he moved on. After a few seconds, Jaune was at the doors, thankfully not alerting the droids. He leaned back at the doorway, just in case they would turn around and see him. He had his blaster on one hand while the other hand prepared to reach for his code cylinder. He patted his pockets to find the cylindrical device that would unlock the door.

However, there was just one problem. Once those doors open, the droids would be alert to the whooshing sound it would give out. The last thing he needed was to alert the rest of the enemy of his whereabouts, never mind the fact that should he eliminate them, the patrols would be sure to find the remains on the ground.

The only way he could open the doors without any detection was to try and drown out the noises of the doors with some kind of louder sound. That was when he remembered from his past mission. He would have to use the elements of nature to his advantage.

Preparing his code cylinder, he waited for the right time for the loud thunder to roar out and blast away any other sound that would trigger their senses. He didn't know much about droid anatomy, but if his hunch was right, if the droids were so distracted by Pyrrha's whistle, then it would be guaranteed that the frequent thunders could easily block out the doors.

He had to wait for the right moment. The last thunder roar happened just a minute ago, but the wait felt like mere hours. The anxiety from seeing the two droids still oblivious to his presence; the fear that they could turn around at any time made him very startled, begging mentally for the next thunder to come. If he wasn't already wet from the rain, then he could feel the sweat flowing down his face. The heat was warming up in his body at an alarming rate, desperately hoping for the thundering blast to happen.

"Eep…" Suddenly, he started to panic, his voice coming off with a meek little yelp.

"Did you hear something?" Jaune's heart nearly skipped a beat, hearing the first droid on the left speak. For a second, he was shouting out all things in his head, hoping the droids would not hear him. His hand, holding the blaster, was about to react on impulse and quickly shoot the droids before they could turn around. And then, just as he was almost about to break…

 **BRAMMM!**

"EEKK!" Jaune swung his hand into the panel, barely stopping for the little reticule to scan the cylinder and, in an instant, open the doors. While the thunder rumbled about, he turned his head to find the doors opening up, barely heard. He quickly ran for the inside and bolted away, shutting the doors using the control panel on the other side. Just like that, the doors shut tight, ending the fear-inducing tension that nearly unfolded.

"Seriously, did you hear that?" If Jaune could hear the droids outside, he'd be having the greatest relief to his nerves in a long time.

" _Seriously_ , did you hear me say 'negative'?!"

"Ah, put a socket on it."

"Uh, I don't think that's how it goes."

"Shut up."

"Roger, roger."

Jaune waited for a few seconds, firmly gripping his blaster with both of his hands. He prepared for any sign of the droids coming right in, tipping his weapon closed to the door. His aim was shaky, arm vibrating vividly from the panic of nearly being caught.

He was finally in. Thank the Force he was able to get in, with the help of some good ol' nature to miraculously give him the save. Then again, he didn't know if it was a stroke of luck, or if fate was playing tricks with him. Either way, he was now more cautious to continue with the mission.

The area was clear on his way into the main supply zone, expecting tons of battle droids to patrol the area. The control tower was just on the other side of the outpost, forcing Jaune to sneak through the numerous stacks and piles of supply crates and containers. The large containers were neatly piled up on one another, set in arranged spaces that made the square of the base a small maze, like the more serene one made of hedge walls back home in Vale. This wasn't going to be a pleasant stroll, however. Instead of the confusion of getting lost, Jaune had to contend with the tension of getting caught by battle droids, which were set to shoot-to-kill.

Jaune traversed his way towards the open, roofless centre of the outpost, where the maze of metal boxes and battle droids would take him to the control tower. It wasn't as complex as an actual maze, but it did require some careful manoeuvres to avoid being detected by the droids, so this was going to be one heck of a slow ride to his destination.

Gulping down one more time, Jaune finally stepped into the open bay, with his rifle raised up to his face as his eye homed into the targeting sight on top. The first few steps into the area were relatively quiet, not a single droid on sight. Slowly, he turned his body from side to side, checking out at each new passing turn or corner for any sign of guards.

Just then, when he looked at front, he suddenly saw a circle of bright light on the ground, moving right for him with a ray shining down on the circle as it moved. Panic ensued, instinct kicked in as he quickly scurried to the nearest container he saw, rolling away behind cover, just as the light passed by. He pressed his back against the crate, watching the ray zooming off away. The close call almost made him yelp, but instantly relieved himself with a breath of fresh air. He had to remember that there was a single battle droid right above at the control tower, manning a spotlight scanning the whole perimeter. He'd take the shot, but he wouldn't risk staying put and wait for the next thunderbolt to arrive. If he was going to get up there, he had to get up close; **really** close.

Once the spotlight was turning away from the bay and out to the open jungles, Jaune resumed his course towards the control tower. He watched from all angles, looking from left to right for guards while also sticking close to the sides of the containers to avoid being in the sights of the droids walking at the walkways at the walls. He kept his vision toned in as much as he could, watching out for any enemy guards the best he could while ignoring the constant shower of rain landing down on his face, coupled with the rumbling thunders and rapidly patting sounds of the rain.

When he turned his head at another corner, he saw a battle droid walking the same direction, causing him to hide behind the container next to him and waited for the droid to walk off. Just as he was about to move out, another droid came from behind him, barely coming within view from the container behind. He turned around the corner and hid from there, almost pushed to shriek from the pressure of being detected by a narrow second. He did his best not to slam his back hard on the metal container, fearing that the folded shield behind him would clang on it.

Jaune waited silently as the droid past him. It was almost a hair's length away from him as it passed by. One wrong move and the droid would give away his position, probably unless he acted first and wrestled out the droid. Maybe it would be best if he tackled the droid and finished it off. Yeah, perhaps he could finish it off and hide it somewhere the wreckage wouldn't be seen.

Driven to improve his odds, he went for it, sneaking up on the battle droid with his blaster withdrawn to his holster. Right as he reached its back, he threw himself, mustering up his bravery to tackle the droid and throwing it to the ground with the weight of his body pushing it down.

The droid didn't have time to utter a word. Jaune already had it right on the ground as he then pulled out his shield and then with one heave, threw it down, cutting the thin neck with its lower edge and decapitating it, with its equestrian-shaped head dropping off. A satisfying 'kill', if he said so himself. After having to shoot at random swarms of them in the past encounters, he could finally relish at the fact that he took the initiative and silenced an enemy all by himself. This was the sign of good things to come.

Or so he thought…

All of a sudden, he was blinded by some flashing glow that immediately made him jump in a fright. He followed the light and quickly turned his attention towards the control tower, where its source shone right into his eyes. Jaune gulped, knowing too well that he was now in a heap of trouble.

"Busted…"

"ALERT!" The high-pitched yell of the droid echoed throughout the outpost, completely destroying Jaune's element of surprise. "ENEMY HOSTILE, SIGHTED IN OUTPOST BAY! BLAST HIM!" He cursed inside, now bent on running towards the tower. The droid sentries at the walls quickly responded, along with the few droids down on the cargo bay as they ran towards the scene of the crime. By instinct, Jaune rearmed himself, taking out his shield and blaster to prepare for the shootout he so wanted to prevent.

The droids at the walls quickly spotted Jaune, aiming their sniper rifles at him. They then started firing, letting loose rapid bursts of long-ranged shots towards him. Jaune didn't know where to go; the sniper shots came from all corners and it forced him back to the cover of containers again. He covered himself with his shield out front, blocking out some of the sniper shots coming from the sentry at the far right. He resisted the barrage, crouching down to withstand the knocking. When the sniper stopped shooting, he took his stand and aimed his blaster at it while still keeping his body safe behind the shield. He couldn't precisely aim at the sniper, but he had to keep firing and hope for some miraculous shot to take out the droid.

However, he couldn't stay for long. It would be quite soon until another droid would come by and finish him off. Sniper or no sniper, he had to move out and race for the tower again. By this time, the alarms began to ring across the area in a loud set of wailing noises that went off every few seconds like an annoying mating call of the Goliath beasts from the grasslands of Vale, only with a higher pitch.

Jaune ran as fast as he could, only hindered by the slippery metal floor that slowed him down by a small margin. In the meantime, he had to avoid being shot at by the snipers from the walls and the battle droids down on the bay. He fired his weapon hurriedly at any battle droid that came his way, stopping from container to container to get better hits on them. All the while, however, he had to protect himself from being sniped down, adding to the difficulty of the mission.

It didn't look like this mission was going so well, Jaune thought. He was already being pinned down halfway to his objective, forced down by sniper fire and incoming battle droids. By the time he was almost at the tower, battle droids were already quick to mobilize in the defence of the structure.

Lines of droids blocked the front of the door that led to the tower's top, firing their volley at Jaune. The panicked soldier nearly slipped after abruptly stopping, swinging his shield forward to block off the incoming attack. Faced with incoming fire, Jaune had to fall back and let the blitzing lasers push him back. Soon, as the firepower increased, he could only retreat back up to the point where he couldn't run anymore. He was being hailed down by numerous blaster fire that he couldn't go anywhere, backed up against the wall where the snipers wouldn't get to him. All there was to end him was the squad of battle droids coming for him in their line of formation, firing their weapons continuously at his shield.

Jaune kept his momentum up as best he could while firing his weapon back from his shield. He couldn't see the droids as he was pinned, although he did make one of the shots which took out one of the droids.

Unfortunately, luck could only get him so far. The droids closed in even more, increasing the force acting against Jaune's shield. By the time he was almost at his breaking point, his blaster started clicking emptily. He didn't have the space to reload his weapon, having been shot at and could not afford to risk getting shot by moving his free hand that held the shield. Unable to move or rearm himself, Jaune was now hopelessly out of options. The only way he could get out of this was run back, but doing so would get him exposed to sniper fire, which, by this point, the droids were already ready to shoot him down the moment he showed up.

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Jaune had to duck down and hope for luck that he would be safe as he ran, risking the chance of making it out safely from the sniper fire to reload his weapon. It would be one dash for the container and he would take cover behind another container. Hopefully, he would be able to survive at least one burst of sniper fire and hide behind safely to resume his offensive. It was only going to be one run, without anyone else for him to worry about.

He just hoped that Pyrrha would come to finish off what he started. Just getting ready, Jaune was about to sprint for cover, to what would probably be his last run ever.

 **BBOOOMMM!**

Suddenly, Jaune felt a loud booming noise just over his shield, causing the hairs on his skin to erect in shock. After reeling from the shock, he soon felt that the violent tattering on his shield had ceased. Noticing the change of events, he decided to peek out and see what had happened to the droids who were shooting at him. From where the droids were last seen shooting their weapons at him, all there was left were a bunch of blown up pieces, limbs separated completely from their destroyed bodies, originating from a black circular ring of ash with smoke coming out.

Jaune wondered what could have happened to those droids, not being able to hear how the explosion came to be after being muffled by the blaster fire acting against him. He didn't know what to make of his miraculous save. Unless, he thought, maybe she was here…

"Jaune!" Yep, he was right. His saviour was just as he expected her to be. When he relieved himself of his cover, he could see the warrior who saved his life once again, running towards him with her poncho on. Following behind Pyrrha was CT-1788, also looking around for more trouble. Though, as expected as Pyrrha's arrival was, Jaune wondered how the heck she got here, and how she knew he would come all the way here to find him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked. Pyrrha frowned, responding back with disbelief.

"Really?" she murmured. "You're standing right in the middle of enemy fire, and you still ask me that?" She then went over to check on Jaune's condition, feeling for any bruises or scorch marks he may have sustained during his reckless solo mission. Fortunately, nothing major was found, luckily in good condition.

Just as she finished up checking on him, Jaune noticed the disapproving look on her face, like she was disappointed in the boy for running off on his own. He appreciated Pyrrha for coming here to help him, but he was now in a sort of troublesome position as she looked to rebuke him. Now that the two were alone… Well, maybe alone with CT-1788, Jaune was ready to explain himself, feeling the need to show how much he still cared about fighting the enemy.

However, their time was not to come.

 **BWUIM!**

A lone stray shot seared right in between Jaune and Pyrrha, forcing them to recoil from the shock. As they turned their heads towards the walls of the outpost, they could see one of the droid sentries still left standing to try and take them out. Since the base was on high alert, they were sure that the rest of the guards, including the spider droid Jaune saw, were right outside, attempting to bash in and finish them off.

For now, the three soldiers ran for cover, away from the incoming sniper fire. They quickly ducked down behind a few crates before attempting to fire back at the droid with all their weapons. Jaune and CT-1788 used their carbines to provide suppressive fire, allowing Pyrrha to try and pick out the droid with her sniper attachment, at the ready. The sniper rifle used by the droid was shooting out like a machine gun that didn't seem to help any of the three soldiers, with their limited cover being a handicap against the spread fire.

While taking cover again, Pyrrha resumed her demand for answers from Jaune, pressed harder by the chaos he had inevitably caused.

"What do you think you're doing out here? You could have told me you were out to liberate this outpost. What were you thinking?" demanded the commando. Jaune was all eager to finally let her know how he truly felt now.

"I'm sorry!" he yelled, not from the frustration of letting Pyrrha down, but rather from the droid fire. "I just wanted to prove that I can still make a difference. I can fix this!"

As Pyrrha fired, she listened to Jaune speak his mind, understanding the sudden change of heart. While she may have seemed distracted by the sniper fire, she actually heard every word Jaune had to say about himself, willing to see how much he was going to go to realize his decision to finally step up.

"All those regrets, those words I said about leaving the war and how it was all a waste of time. I didn't mean to say any of those." Jaune thought about the many times he said the exact same thing many times before, back in the Academy whenever he failed to move up to great potential, only to be further encouraged by family and friends who still believed in him. Despite the continuous support, he still didn't believe he would make it that far, destined to fail and disappoint the family, and forced to give his warrior to one of his more capable sisters. And from the very mission where he could finally prove himself in battle for real, he stumbled to the point of definitely quitting and returning home a disgrace, to save anyone the trouble of dealing with his incompetence. "I used to think how much of a waste I am to everyone I've been with… until you came along." Indeed, when Pyrrha finally came to his life, there was a spark of hope. Thanks to her devotion to show him the right path of being a family hero, Jaune found reason to hold on to his desires to make his family proud. With her guidance, he was able to learn things he never knew he could. And after all she did for him in their short time together, he decided to shut himself off and let his depression get the best of him. Not only did he nearly kill her, but he also would have cost her reputation as well.

Now realizing how much more of a fool he was for trying to want out, he thought he could fix everything and go on his own to fix his mistakes. Once again, though, he had failed to live up to his promise again, messing up once more. With the battle going on around him now out of his mind, he ducked his head down, letting the laser fire crash everywhere without caring about the danger.

"I'm such a fool. Not because I've let you down, but because I've let myself down." Jaune slumped down, wanting to pick up the blaster and fire back, but was sort of upset to not do much.

Surprisingly, Pyrrha didn't seem to be distracted either. From the sincere look on Jaune, she actually felt the presence of something she hadn't felt in him since they left Vale. It was that explosive passion for others that had once again burst out of the blue in the defence of those around him. Putting them before himself, he let his spirit speak for him as he poured out every bit of emotion towards what he really wanted. All along, she knew she was right. Jaune was no complete coward. Inside of him, there was a warrior who was willing to do his part to help others and fight for what was right, and when given time, he could become the soldier he was always meant to be. In the midst of his next defeat, he was finally admitting that he was ready to fight back, even if people wouldn't see him that way.

Amidst the current chaos, she could finally make a genuine smile on her face. Now that Jaune regained his courage to show that he was going to fight to fix his mistakes, he would also be strong enough to fight the enemy. To fully face the dangers of war, one must open up and let the truth set them free. The way she saw it, Jaune would be ready to fight for real.

"There is one thing you can do." she told him, crouching down to pick up the rifle he dropped from his depressive confession. She then handed to him, getting Jaune's attention as he stirred from his plight to see Pyrrha smiling warmly at him. Seeing his weapon on her hand and his shield on his own arm, he got the message of what Pyrrha really thought of him. After all he had done and failed to do, she still wanted to see him fight for the Republic and the greater good of the galaxy. He didn't know what to say, but he did feel the warmth in his heart to know that Pyrrha had faith in him. It wasn't over for him; this was only the beginning and Pyrrha was going to help him all the way.

Touched by her support, Jaune gladily accepted the weapon, ready to battle for real. It felt like forever, but after so long, Jaune now felt that he was in the right place, at last. Things were finally coming together just nicely. Now, it was time to prove whether it would go as hoped.

"You can do this, Jaune." affirmed Pyrrha, gripping her own weapon to shoot out the droid. "You proved yourself at the training simulation, you're going to prove yourself here and then some." Jaune nodded, feeling like a true soldier to obey the commands of his superior.

"Right behind you, Pyrrha." The two grinned determinedly.

"Um, you two!" Back in the fight, CT-1788 shouted out to get them back to the here and now. "If you're done making up back there, I could use a hand!" Pyrrha concurred, nodding to Jaune to give him the first order of the battle. He popped out, right at the moment when the droid stopped firing its weapon. The plan would be to provide suppressive fire long enough for Pyrrha to use her sniper rifle to take it out, just as she did for the other snipers on her way to Jaune. Pulling the trigger, the Arc fired his weapon in rapid succession of bolts towards the droid. While he hoped one of his shots would finish the job, his main intention was to keep it down, also joined by CT-1788. As they noticed, the droid proved to be lousy at dodging shots, standing in place while being hindered by the blaster fire.

While the two men fired, Pyrrha locked in on the sniper, carefully aiming her weapon right at the droid's head through the two crosshairs locked onto the front and middle sections of the top of the weapon, lined up in a single file to give her more magnification power. Getting the droid to stay still was no easy feat, so she relied on her predictive insight as to where the droid's head was going to sway towards, firing her weapon right before it was believed to move at. Once the droid was about to move its head, Pyrrha timed her shot, pulling the trigger to the moment where she hoped the droid would end up at…

 **BRAMM!**

The energy shot fired like a heavy cannon, out with a huge bang that zapped right for the sniper. The force of the shot felt almost powerful enough to knock back anyone holding it, which was no wonder why Pyrrha was among the best snipers of Remnant, being able to keep herself from being thrown back or knocked off by the sniper rifle. When her weapon slowly lowered back down, Pyrrha could see where the shot landed…

Right on target…

"That's got 'em." The three soldiers could see the decapitated droid, dizzily spinning around before falling off the wall walkway and crashing to the ground with an audible metallic crashing sound. The threat now passed, they had very little time to rejoice, preparing for the rest of the droid patrols about to bust right into the main gate just opposite them. Around the bay, they had tons of cover to run over to; lots of room for firing positions throughout the place.

The droid sentry at the control tower could be working through the controls to the doors at this very moment, so they checked their weapons to give the approaching forces everything they got. Their weapons loaded and aimed at the bay doors, they waited for the expected large group of droids and the small-sized walker to come right in. Pyrrha assessed the firepower needed to handle the observed droid positions, expecting the usual squared formation of B1 battle droids to come right in, shielding the walker from their line of fire.

"They're coming in." alerted CT-1788. Jaune and Pyrrha looked at each other before smiling; Jaune looking braver and slightly more excited about fighting the enemy this time around.

"Let's knock ourselves some droids." Pyrrha nodded at his declaration to defeat the oncoming threat against the droids. Everyone's eyes were on the cargo bay doors, waiting to shred the enemy to bits. However, their minds were still set on the control tower to finish up what Jaune intended to do in the first place; set off the alarm beacon and call for reinforcements. Pyrrha could have sent one of the boys, or herself, up the tower while the rest of the trio stayed down to handle the droids, but as soon as she made the move to call out the orders, the doors began to open, shutting off any idea of splitting up to reinforce the need for everyone to stick together as one.

They had to move fast; once the droid guards were taken out, they would still have to worry about any nearby droid armies that could be in the vicinity to take over. They could bet that the possible arrival of reinforcements would be far worse than the guard force. The sooner they got to the control tower, the better.

For now, they had to weaken the guard force first before moving to the tower, just enough to guarantee a safe trip.

The doors began to open up, revealing the legs of the droids that were about to march right in, guns blazing. The moment it would open up half-way, the team had to expect the droids to fire almost instantly upon sight. Their fingers were at the triggers of their weapons, ready to fire. Jaune and Pyrrha both had their shields out to combat the enemy fire. That was when Pyrrha had an idea.

"Jaune, CT-1788." she called the two men. "Sword and shield manoeuvre." Jaune stirred into confusion while CT-1788 instantly recognized the order.

"Wait!" Jaune cried out. "What's that supposed to mean?" Suddenly, CT-1788 grabbed him by the shoulder, slightly shocking the boy.

"You two block…" he said, before giving Jaune one strong push towards the exposed area in front of the crates. Pyrrha just followed casually. "I provide the rest of the firepower." Jaune didn't really like the idea of being the meat shield, but the fact he had an actual shield, and that Pyrrha was by his side, still did help a little to boost his confidence. Nevertheless, he had to prepare his mind against the might of the droid army.

Finally, the doors were already half-way up, and as soon as the droids laid their optic sensors on the three, they immediately opened fire. The line formation blazed away with their weapons aiming right at the team of Republic soldiers. Jaune and Pyrrha were both already rocking back from the bolts of lasers knocking at their shields. They fired their blasters from the cover of their shields while CT-1788 fired safely from behind with the extra cover.

The droids began to fall one by one, more so by CT-1788's direct aim than the blind fire by the shield-wielding soldiers. Even so, the combined defensive firepower of the trio still dealt blow after blow to the battle formation. But what the droids lacked in effective combat as individual units, they more than make up for their sheer numbers. This small force was still estimated to be about thirty droids strong, as far as what they saw outside.

Line after line, the droid counterattack began to shrink down, giving the team a better chance to make the run towards the tower. Slowly, they fired back continuously at the droids to further improve their odds. Sooner or later, they would eventually have to face the dwarf spider droid that was definitely behind them, waiting to fire its heavy laser at them when enough droids were taken out.

"I see the walker!" CT-1788 could see the two glaring red eyes behind the frontal droids, indicating its inevitable turn to strike. Pyrrha saw the incoming heavy unit approaching as well, anticipating its arrival. This was when the tactics had to change.

"Get ready, Jaune!" she signalled for the boy to move to the next phase. Of course, Jaune was clueless of what she had in mind.

"For what?!" He yelled from behind his shield.

"I'm going to get to the back with CT-1788! Hold them off as much as you can!"

"Okay!" Jaune responded.

"You sure you can take it?!" Pyrrha asked as she was prepared to make the jump back to join her clone companion.

"Just get back and do whatever you… need to do!" he confirmed to Pyrrha while taking another hit from the droids to his shield. Pyrrha made no hesitation to move back and left Jaune to take more of the hits. She worried that he wouldn't be able to withstand the attacks for long, which was why she had to move quickly and take out the spider droid. Still, she put her faith that he would take it all.

Jaune crouched down and pressed himself harder than he ever had before. There was no stopping himself this time. For his teammates, he would fight on to see through that they would win the battle. He couldn't go wrong this time; the stakes were already on the line and he was willing to make it right. As the lasers continued to rock his shield, he held on hard, resisting the urge to run once the small walker came to view.

Once the droid walker was in sight, the next phase of the manoeuvre came to play. Jaune stood his ground, hoping desperately that Pyrrha and CT-1788 did something already.

"Okay! Thermal detonators at the ready!" Pyrrha called out to the clone. CT-1788 took out his grenade while Pyrrha quickly set up her weapon to its anti-armour configuration, slapping in a large barrel fit for a bomb, in place of the sniper pieces. With their explosives at the ready, they waited for the walker to reach a certain point where they could launch them at it. Soon, with enough battle droids out of the way, thanks to Jaune's defence, the spider droid was ready to fire. At once, the dome-headed walker fired its nose cannon straight at Jaune.

At that brief moment, Jaune expected the worst, clutching to the grip behind his shield and anticipating the force of the shot to blast him away. Miraculously, the walker's shot missed, reeling straight behind the team. After the missed shot, Jaune let go of his body to relax a bit, while he could feel his legs shiver from the frightening second for his life to be at risk.

The droid walker missed its chance to take out a life, leaving Pyrrha and CT-1788 with the ample opportunity to take it out themselves.

"Now!" With the wave of the clone's arm, he threw the detonator at the walker first. The bomb bounced its way to the droids. Estimating about three seconds until the bomb would explode, Pyrrha made her shot, launching a grenade at the walker. With precise timing, both the round and the detonator exploded simultaneously, combining their powers together to deliver double the strength of the blast. It was enough to blow the droid up into pieces, ending the biggest threat to the team.

At once, Pyrrha moved forward to return to helping Jaune. She grasped his shoulder to help him up, feeling the shock from the missed shot of the walker. With the destruction of most of the droids, all there was left were basically two lines of battle droids; all of which the team could easily take out. Pyrrha and CT-1788 took this to their advantage and struck while the droids eventually scrambled to retreat, programmed to disperse when their strength of their army were calculated to be less than a third of their initial numbers.

They just ran back out the door, presumably to get reinforcements to regather their strength. The team kept firing their weapons to lessen the numbers a little, though they were more focused on the opportunity to seize the tower and activate the warning alarm back to main base.

"We better get moving." urged Pyrrha. "They'll be back."

"Let's go!" Jaune got up and ran for the tower, followed by the two other soldiers. They didn't know how close the droid forces were to the outpost, but they wasted no time and ran for the control room. By the time they reached there, they took up positions, ready to climb up the tower and set the beacon.

"Okay, there's only one droid up there." informed Jaune. "Take it out and the control room's ours."

"Got it." Pyrrha affirmed. "But someone's got to be down here to hold off the reinforcements." It would take a while to get the beacon ready. By now, the Separatists could have reprogrammed the base to suit their own purposes. Activating the alarm beacon would require Republic clearance to be sounded off at the right place, so one must take the initiative to override the command to the structure to set it back to Republic hands. All it took was a code cylinder into the control console and a bit of keying into the computer and the beacon was just a few screens away.

"CT-1788." Pyrrha called. "Can you get up there and raise the alarm?"

"Consider it done." The clone agreed, complying to the order. Jaune personally wanted to go up there and finish the mission he vowed to complete, but he supposed a bit of teamwork wouldn't hurt. Thinking back during his final day at the Academy, it was his selflessness that allowed Kormal to pick up the flag and win the simulation, after all. Win the battle, not be a hero. That was what his father told him.

"Jaune, we'll stay down here and hold the line." added Pyrrha. "With any luck, Archwick would be ready to send our backup as soon as the alarm is raised."

"What are our odds?" Jaune asked, timidly. Pyrrha just huffed her breath, as if to brush off the question.

"No worrying over the odds, Jaune. Just know that you're fighting the enemy." Jaune should have known better. After all, they did take out an entire guard force, and he withstood the force of the droid fire on his own for a while, minus that fortunate misfire by the dwarf droid. And Pyrrha was right. Forget about the possibilities and fight the enemy you already know is going to show in large numbers anyway…

Well, that thought didn't really last long…

Jaune shook his head and prepared for the incoming enemy forces. Sure enough, once they were prepared, they could hear the loud marching noises of battle droid footsteps coming from the bay doors again. Pyrrha remembered the marching sounds from the last attack, being quieter, thus letting her know that a larger army was outside. Her instincts told her that this was going to be one huge fight; it didn't matter if it was just B1 droids or if they were combined with any armour or heavy weapons.

"Get ready…" she told herself aloud, intent on letting Jaune know too. The two readied their shields and their blasters for the droid army that was about to fire upon them with the same ferocity as the last.

Then, they came, with the first line being longer with more droids than the previous formation. Jaune gulped, holding in his need to scream again. He returned to his tough side when the droids began to fire off their salvo of lasers. Flanked by two container piles, they had the thin line of fire to their advantage, but the lack of extra space to run around did hinder them from elbow room.

The droids fired off, forcing the two of them down with their shields rattled upon. This time, with more droids against them, it was harder to even poke their blasters out from the rims of their shields. There was not a single second given to them to lessen their burden. They could only sneak stray shots at random intervals, but the laser fire was all over the place, leaving no space to creep to. While there were only B1 droids this time around, it was still a much deadlier force with the constant flurry of shots tattering at their shields violently.

Pyrrha didn't have time to stall. She knew if they stood like this forever, the droids would overwhelm them. She had to step up and finish the job, given that CT-1788 would take some time to reconfigure the base's systems. She had to get herself and Jaune to retreat into the tower, where they could shoot the droids from the stairs.

It always works; just get yourself higher to take the natural advantage of shooting down to seize the day. Yeah, that always works, right? Getting the higher ground?

It was worth the try. First, she had to give Jaune more time to get through the door. Now, it was her turn to take the bulk of the firepower.

"Jaune!" she shouted out, voice being muffled by the clanging of their shields. "Do you remember which grenade to use now?!" Jaune fiddled with his nerves. Again, he had to be reminded of his little grenade incident, let alone it being told to him directly. If Pyrrha wanted him to throw one again, he didn't want to relive the same thing. He didn't want to mess up this time. So, taking the chance to better himself, he complied.

"I guess so!" Honestly, at least it was a better answer than saying nothing.

"Take the shot! I'll cover you!" Then, when Pyrrha told him to throw one anyway, it probably didn't matter which one to use. Of course, no one was around for him to accidentally hurt, so he couldn't possibly be any unluckier to have it bounce back towards himself and Pyrrha, could he? Without hesitation, he nodded, ready to throw a grenade at the ready. "Get to the door and toss one at them!" Pyrrha then jumped forward and made herself the lone barricade between Jaune and the droids.

Jaune took this time to hurry towards the doors, barely missing a stray shot that passed him and hit the tower wall instead. While he ran, Pyrrha held her ground and let the heavier weight of the barrage knock her back every few centimetres. She put her whole strength to her stance, believing in Jaune to carry out the very task that struck him to his sorriest state. She put in a lot of faith in the boy, and could not afford to falter and affect him further. Her own failure meant his, as well.

Meanwhile, Jaune managed to rush into the safety of the tower. Breathing in behind the wall, he quickly snapped himself back into reality and prepared to throw the grenade. He took it out of his belt and was about to flip the trigger to set it to explode.

 **BWIUM!**

"ACK!" Unfortunately, another lone shot nearly hit him, causing him to panic and throw it, prematurely. The unset grenade was thrown right at the droids, leaving Jaune to panic instantly from another mishap. Pyrrha could hear the grenade get knocked to the ground, but what she was about to hear next didn't satisfy her.

"I didn't set the charge!" Pyrrha cursed mentally. She didn't know how Jaune could have possibly thought to throw the bomb without setting it off. Then again, there was no time to rationalize or even blame. There was a raw grenade on the ground, and the droids were almost half-way towards the tower. She kept her guard up and resisted the firestorm. Her next plan was to retreat back, slowly as they kept coming. There was no time to set her blaster back to its grenade launcher mode; the lasers kept her down from even standing up. There was only retreating at a snail's pace.

Jaune could see her struggling to hold herself against the might of the droids. Once again, he had messed up, putting Pyrrha at risk again. He couldn't believe he had allowed himself to slip up once more and now, also, she was out there at the brink of death because of him. The memories of his failure came to haunt him again, breaking his heart to even imagine going through again a second time, or worse…

No…

 **No…**

No! He thought about the whole thing again, but was now not willing to let himself be downed because of his mistakes again. He did all of this to make up for his losses and foolishness. Jaune promised Pyrrha that he would step up and take on the battle like a true soldier. Also remembering the same training session with Kormal, he vowed to put his friends before himself. He was a soldier. He was a proud member of the Arc family!

Running back outside, he ran and, to Pyrrha's horror, straight towards the droid forces!

"Jaune! No!" It was too late to stop him. Jaune was already racing forward, with his shield out front and running against the droids. He didn't stop for the first time in his life as a soldier. He just ran forward to the danger. He stopped right in front of the droids and valiantly put himself between Pyrrha and the enemy. His shield was once again the protection he knew Pyrrha needed.

"Pyrrha! Lob one at them! Quick!" Pyrrha stared at the face of the boy. She could see the same fire that she felt in his heart when she first laid her eyes on him, now burning even brighter in those blue eyes of his. Suddenly, she was faced with the long awaited burst of energy and spirit from the Arc that finally given him the moment he always hoped to be in. Finally, here he was, bursting out of his cowardly shell to let his inner warrior take charge. He was putting himself on the line to give Pyrrha the edge to score a victory against the droids. She could only stare for a moment to let it all sink in to see Jaune in his prime.

However, she was wise enough to focus on what was more important, and that was jumping into the opportunity and doing what had to be done. Jaune couldn't possibly hold out long against the droid army, so she acted quickly to save him before he would get hit.

She rushed forward, forgetting Jaune's idea to throw a grenade, for fear that she wouldn't have time to save him. Instead, she made do of what was already present before her. She quickly got behind Jaune and pulled him back. The boy panicked a bit, but kept his shield up as his partner continued to pull him to safety, to keep them both protected. When they were finally at the tower, Pyrrha slid Jaune behind the wall again, ducking for cover as the droids still blasted at them.

Pyrrha then set her weapon to her grenade launcher mode and peered out towards them. She looked for the ground to find the grenade Jaune didn't activate. She saw the device there, right below the feet of the passing droids. At once, she fired an explosive round towards the droids. At the very moment the shot hit the floor at where the bomb was, another double explosion occurred, sending droids caught within the blast flying at multiple directions.

Jaune and Pyrrha reeled themselves from the violent resonance of the blast. The combined blow was sure to have crippled their numbers, not by much but enough to act on. Either way, Jaune was sure glad that turned out a little well. He was able to get the job done after finally fighting his own hesitations and that was all that mattered. What he didn't know, however, was that his partner was surely impressed and proud of seeing him brave his fears and moved on. He learnt from his mistakes and, for Pyrrha, it was all she needed to see.

The battle was still far from over, however, because there was still a big number of droids heading right for the tower. Jaune looked at Pyrrha once more, looking like he was just out of a street brawl with a tired face, possibly from the sudden thrust towards the droids.

"Well, they're still coming." he said between pants of his breath.

"We're going to keep this up, right?" affirmed Pyrrha, making sure that he was still in it for the fight. Jaune took a moment to sigh out his stress, but nodded back afterwards.

They were both ready to battle again, firing back at the battle droids from behind the doorway. The droids drew closer and closer, but Jaune and Pyrrha were now within better cover to shoot them down, not going to rest until the job was done. They carried on until the alarms could be raised and that the promise for reinforcements would be fulfilled.

* * *

Republic Outpost Foxtrot,

Mad'kin Rian,

Border of Remnant System and the Outer Rim Territories,

Eventually, that time came. As Jaune and Pyrrha held their own against the remaining droid forces, CT-1788 was able to alert the main Republic forces to intervene and strike back. Gunships flew in and deployed troops to finish off the Separatist counterattack.

With that, the recapture of the outpost was complete. Jaune's mission was done, and it all proved to be one big turn of events, not just for him, but for his team as well.

The trio had since returned back to base after their harrowing mission together. Pyrrha had just reported to Captain Archwick of her recent mission, letting the Duros know that Jaune had finally succeeded in what he never even cared about considering him to do.

Indeed, she was proud of finally seeing Jaune act like a real soldier and step up to take the heat to save his fellow warriors. It definitely proved her point that even a coward like Jaune had a narglatch deep within, ready to pounce at the right moment. Of course, she made no attempt to shame Archwick for his ignorance, even as the captain half-heartedly accepted the validity of her report. She just told him that all was good and left, wanting no more to do with him any longer. She was going to keep Jaune under her tutelage for as long as she wanted.

Now, the three soldiers were walking towards the _Sanctum's Pride_ , finally ready to leave this bewildering stormy planet, even as a squadron of Atlesian bullheads flew over to deliver a fresh load of Remnant troops to reinforce the planet. However, Pyrrha had one more thing to say about the other man in the team. Jaune may have been the one to make the heroic change, but she still had CT-1788 to thank for assisting her all this way to help the Arc find his path.

"Trooper." She then decided to do something about his call sign. For a while, she grew to solidify his place in her team, and felt that he should feel right at home. That all starts with a name…

"Is there something wrong, Commander?" CT-1788 turned around at attention. "

"I can't thank you enough for your help. You gave me and Jaune a lot of backup, even on your own." she explained. "You clearly have a lot of spark. I can tell from your fighting spirit." But then, her voice shrunk, reminiscing the memory of an individual who shared his heart of courage and loyalty. Someone she knew so long ago, who she grew to idolize and love.

"Carol…"

"Sorry?"

"Who's Carol?"

The memories were bittersweet, to say the least. There were tons of lovely moments between her and this Carol whom she spoke of, almost enough to make her one of her most beloved people of all time. But then, there was a dark side to the story that she did not want to recollect.

"She was my sister." she spoke quietly. "She was one of the best fighters and soldiers I have ever met." Indeed, the many skirmishes she participated, many of which were Pyrrha's first, were some of the greatest memories she could have of the sister she only knew by name, before eventually joining her side to fight in battles together. Through time, the seemingly lost siblings became inseparable, two heroes against a galaxy of strife. "She used to be so loyal; always willing to put others ahead of herself." Then, there were the unsavoury moments. Many of them were brief and inconsequential, but there was one tragedy in her life with Carol that really brought horrid memories. Memories, however, that were something she had to honour. "That was what… made her sacrifice herself one day." That one battle, back on the moon of Rinsax, against a band of pirates that took the life of the family member she loved so dearly, now nothing more than a reminder that you couldn't save everyone.

"I'm sorry." Jaune didn't know what it was like to fight, let alone fight alongside as someone close as family. However, he understood the feeling of love when it came to having a sibling by your side. Heck, he had plenty of sisters to care for before he went to the Academy, and it all felt like a battlefield just interacting with all of them. But still, it was all worth the time with family.

Pyrrha shook her head, not needing to let it sink her further. If anything, what Carol did for her only made her stronger, to give people chances to move on and become better people. Perhaps, this was the role of a mentor, so it was her turn to mentor Jaune the way she knew how. If it came to the point where she'd give her own life to help him progress, then that would be a time for her to accept her fate and push Jaune to go on without her.

"She did what she needed to do. She sacrificed herself to save me, and I will always love her for being my sister." Jaune nodded understandingly, glad to know that Pyrrha had decided to rejoice over the passing of her sister and move on. Honestly, he thought, she should make a great Jedi instead of a soldier. With all of her beliefs in spiritual stuff, she'd make one heck of a Jedi in no time. Pyrrha turned back to the clone, who also shared his sympathy towards her loss and understood how it would make her stronger.

"Do you suppose…?" She made her suggestion to the clone. "I could call you Carolina from now?"

"Carolina, ma'am?" Carolina, he thought. He knew it was because of her sister and all, but was it really that necessary to call him that. He hated to be honest, but it sounded very… cheesy.

"It would always remind me of the many battles we used to take part in. I wanted to have something to remember my sister for. But I suppose **someone** would be great, too." However, since it was an honourable thing to do, he supposed there was no harm in letting her call him with a name that symbolized the traits of the woman she idolized.

"As you wish, ma'am." Carolina accepted his name. Actually, he was glad with the name, no matter the significance or the cheesiness of it all. He was just glad someone cared to give him an actual name, and not to be confused with his ID number. Though, again, with a new name came new standards of formality.

"Just call me Pyrrha, Carolina." insisted Pyrrha.

"Of course, ma'am." Carolina saluted, stuttering just at the end after realizing he had made his mistake. "Sorry. This will be something to get used to." He rubbed the back of his head, gladly taking his new name and getting on board as a full-fledged member of the team. From this moment on, he will be working alongside one of the greatest commandoes out there in her home system, and he'll find that it would be a much more different experience than he would imagine.

When the clone disappeared into the ship, Jaune and Pyrrha were the last ones to board. Then, the former turned to his combat partner, willing to make conversation to make the recent victory feel brighter.

"I wonder what Captain Archwick's gonna yell at my face for next." he sighed.

"You mean, **our** faces?" added Pyrrha. "And don't worry about him. I made sure he won't get you down any further." She dusted the dirt of her shoulder, and then placing her hand on her hip while grinning a sly one. "In fact, I've made arrangements to have us fight elsewhere in the war. I'm pretty sure we'll be seeing the last of him."

Poor Archwick. Jaune knew he respected Pyrrha greatly, so it would certainly be a blow to his morale if he ever heard how much she was talking behind his back. Even if he was a loudmouth, he didn't really deserve the negativity that was directed at him.

More importantly, he was more grateful of the devotion and care Pyrrha gave him. At his lowest, she had his back when no one else seemed to give a damn. And because of that, he felt his own need to jump in and watch her back, too. This was what partners were meant for, and for that reason, he was ready to fight with her.

"Listen, Pyrrha." said Jaune, catching Pyrrha's attention. "If you think I'm ready to fight with you, then I'll be behind you all the way." The truth was heartfelt and sincere, just as she had felt when he put himself out there, just as Carol did. Suppose she would have called him Carolina, now, wouldn't she? She joked mentally; the Carolina she just met was also worthy of her service, but if anything, Jaune was his own title, and he deserved it so.

"That's what I needed to hear, Jaune." They entered the ship. passing Carolina, who was ready to raise the boarding ramp and prepare for departure. Who knew where he was going to go next? It's a big galaxy of war out there, and there was going to be hectic battles to be fought for who knew how long. Nevertheless, all he had to do was depend on his teammates, so as long as they depended on him. Teamwork makes the dream work, as they all say.

"Hey, kid." Then, he got called by Carolina, turning around to meet the clone.

"Yeah, Carolina?"

"The next time you're going eavesdrop on someone, make sure you use your ears. **Looking** at the conversation would make your face all the easier to see."

"S-sure thing."


	16. Broken Fangs

**A/N~ And now we come with another chapter, and heck, finally! A proper update, on time without any procrastination or busy schedules to pull me down! I hope I can get more of my stories updated like this XD**

 **Thanks so much to Firem78910, Espada-001 and GojiGrimlockSaurus for the favourites! And of course, thanks to SlyFoxZEF for refollowing the story. I hope you didn't miss much!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Broken Fangs**

 **It is not about the question of whether we win our battles. It is how we choose to win that matters…**

' _Conspiracy; in the shadows!_

 _As the White Fang escalates violence from within, a young warrior has escaped her treacherous cause to warn the leader of the organization of an untold upheaval of brutality!_

 _With the galaxy at war, is there any hope for the White Fang?'_

* * *

Concord Dawn,

Mandalore Space

Blake had just come out of hyperspace, feeling the instant relief of being warped right out of the vortex between two worlds. After a rough encounter with her former brothers, the exiled ex-member of the Adam's branch of the White Fang escaped death, flying in the Gauntlet fighter she had stolen from the moon of Concordia, bent on a new mission.

Betrayal had brought her here. The need to rescue had prompted her to arrive on another unwelcoming place. She was on the run, barely escaping the harsh truth behind a cause she once fully devoted herself to. There was nowhere else to find her way, nor did she have anyone else to trust… No one, except for an old friend…

She knew she would have to find her friend there, on a desolate world, where thousands of years of conflict with the Jedi and the Republic have caused two thirds of the planet to be completely destroyed. Almost reminiscent of the Fractured Moon of Remnant, the planet looked like nothing more than a fruit that had been chomped at, leaving an overwhelmingly large gaping hole on the planet itself. Not its surface; just the whole damn planet…

Blake was still reeling from the near-death flight to flee Concordia, barely managing to jump to hyperspace. However, the damage sustained from the fight had ruptured most of her ship's systems. She was still able to fly smoothly, but it wouldn't be long until the ship would shut down from the damage to its hull. She'd have to end up on Concord Dawn anyway, to get the fuel she needed. More importantly, however, she was here to find her.

Find Ilia…

Blake thought back at the adventures and missions she had with the Faunus lizard-like girl. Before Blake's ascension to join Adam's side, she and Ilia were the exceptional pair of assassins who carried out most of the White Fang's most dangerous thefts, stealing from companies across Mandalore Space and bringing in much needed supplies for them to sell out to various black markets and criminal organizations across the galaxy, though most of the selling was Death Watch's task.

They were almost inseparable. Blake and Ilia were both Faunus with a mutual distaste for discrimination and prejudice. How the galaxy still viewed their kind as nothing more than loathing degenerates was far beyond them, so when the time came for them to join the White Fang, they caught up to the fray.

For Blake, joining the White Fang gave her the chance to give her kind a voice to give them the right to live in a galaxy full of hate. For Ilia, it was more of a chance to free herself of her fears. When the two met, they were almost a match made in heaven. A team, pairing up to conduct some of the deadliest heists against shipments across Remnant and Mandalore Space.

However, only Adam Taurus could have the power to separate the two, bringing Blake to step up by his side, giving her the greater chance of becoming the tipping point for Faunus freedom. Ilia stayed behind, though not offended, to continue her training towards the initiation to a higher position within the White Fang. They hoped that one day, they could reunite and be a team, once again.

Blake wouldn't have to wait long for that day. She was going to Concord Dawn to bring her back, and together, they were going to run from it all. There was no saving the Faunus here in the White Fang… unless, by some miracle, the true leader herself listened to her. While the thought of Ilia was the main thing in her mind, Blake was sure that, if she couldn't be part of the White Fang, then maybe there was still a chance to save it from destroying itself.

Her controls were pushed forward, throttling the ship faster towards the planet. The ship then passed through the floating debris, chunks of planetary rock that remained after the dilapidation of the planet itself from constant wars with the Republic.

Blake reached to the surface of what was left of the planet. Uninhabitable by most large organisms and devoid of plant life, the arid land of canyons and crevices galore provided the perfect place to hide secret bases from the watchful eye of Mandalore. The Gauntlet fighter flew into one of these deep, dark canyons; a large open valley where a built-in landing platform stuck right out. Blake had to descend quite far, almost a kilometre away from the surface, to find this base.

She then prepared the ship for landing, setting her sights on one of the five circular platforms, connected into a single walkway that led deeper into the cavern base. Right outside, coming in for a landing, she hoped the guards were in for a welcome call. She passed the entrance, taking a look at the two tusk-cat statues built on both sides of the entranceway. She then landed on the right platform, slowly powering down upon touchdown. Immediately after seeing the fighter land, the guards nearby all ran towards the ship.

White Fang elite guards, as Blake expected from landing inside the hangar of the hidden palace of the organization itself. This was where she could meet with Sienna Khan and warn her of Adam's rise to power. First, she had to reason with the guards without bloodshed. When she walked down the ramp, she was already met with six, heavily dressed guards with their white robes over the black metallic armour chest plates and silver masks with horns spearing from the forehead section, made for only for the elite. Adding up to their status, the guards held fully spiked spears with sharp, curvy edges built at the tip. They pointed their weapons menacingly at Blake, while she raised her hands up to let them know she came without harm.

"Halt!" yelled one of the guards. "Blake Belladonna. You are hereby placed under arrest for treason against the White Fang. Resistance is futile!" Blake gritted her teeth. She had hoped she came here faster, before Adam could relay word that she had survived the crash. Apparently, someone was already able to identify her to either Taurus or Bo-Katan during her escape. The entire White Fang now knows of Blake's survival, meant to be neutralized without mercy.

"Please! You've got to let me in!" she pleaded to them with the best of her patience. "I have urgent news for Mistress Khan. The White Fang is in danger!"

"No chance, traitor." The guards relented, not allowing Blake one inch closer. They then began to move closer to take her in and answer for her 'crimes'.

"I am not here to cause trouble! I have to see Mistress Khan immediately!" Blake argued again. When the guards threatened to close their deadly circle onto her, her hands moved to grab Gambol Shroud to defend herself. She wasn't sure if it was out of self-defence or if she was being paranoid, but it could have also been the case of her own movement startling them to move in. She was running out of space, backing off behind the ship, step by step. The standoff was about to kick off, when a sudden voice ordered the guards to stop in their tracks.

"Stand down!" The guards turned their heads around towards the walkway to see a trio of different Faunus standing to witness the action unfold. Blake peered over to see them, blown by the appearance of one of them with overwhelming relief.

"Blake?" The figure called out to her with the same feeling of surprise.

"Ilia…" Blake laid her eyes on the one person she most wanted to see. She could easily make out the partner she had before. With her slightly dark skin with small darker spots seen from her face and her bare shoulders, the girl with the red ponytail smoothly going down to her hip level stood there, staring at Blake with consternation from a long time of absence from each other's company.

Ilia quickly ran to meet up with Blake, past the guards as they stood idly at her command. She left behind the two other leading figures behind her; a tall rough man with messy brown hair and beard, with wings put in place by the finger bones visible within the skin flaps, standing next to a smaller grey-haired girl who, like Ilia, didn't seem Faunus, except for the veins visible from within her pale skin.

The two former partners then embraced each other in a tight hug, relieved to be seeing each other after so long. However, Ilia's own feelings were mixed with a bit of panic and curiosity over what she had just heard about the woman in front of her. After they let go with Ilia's hands still grasping on Blake's shoulders, the latter expressed her relief at seeing Ilia. "I'm so glad you're safe."

"Wh-what's going on?" Ilia stammered, in fear of the unknown. Blake felt the chameleon Faunus' fingernails pinch into her skin, trembling as she did so. "The White Fang has branded you a traitor. What did you do?"

"There's no time." Blake shook her head to sway off the questions, getting straight to the point. "I have to see Sienna Khan. I think Adam might be trying to usurp the throne from her." The three elite members of the White Fang stood stunned by the accusation Blake had delivered from her mouth. They could have never imagined the day that one of the organization's greatest warriors attempting to betray their leader. They couldn't believe that, out of all the people that have worked with him, Blake Belladonna, the seemingly closest ally of Taurus, would come out to say that something was wrong with him.

"What makes you think of that?" asked the spider-like woman, Trifa, sceptical over her claims.

"I was there." Blake nonchalantly answered, holding back the emotions that she suffered from the sudden revelation and betrayal of the one, she thought, who was closest to her. It was the expression people within the White Fang knew very well, meaning that Blake was as serious as they come. "Adam said so himself. He wishes to make the White Fang more powerful than ever." She then took a moment of silence to glare at everyone in the area, to emphasize on her point, with the hint of the realistic motivations from her former lover's rampage; quiet but brutally clear. "And you know the only way to do that is to eliminate Sienna Khan."

The guards remained still, with their heads turning around at each other, troubled by the idea that the very leader they were sworn to protect was in danger, as Blake predicted. Her close comrades in front of her seemed to have also got the horrid message. Adam Taurus, the one who brought the White Fang to greater prominence and threat towards their enemies, now using his own experience to bring down Sienna Khan. That was something they could never be prepared for, but apparently, Blake Belladonna gave them something to fear.

Ilia could feel the sincerity from Blake. Her skin began to change into a shade of darker fill, covering her body as she backed up in uncertainty. Her body began to bend very slightly from the timid feelings she was harbouring about these turn of events.

It was as Blake thought. No one had been aware of Adam's attempted betrayal, let alone thought about the possibilities. Supposedly, they went through what she had during her time with the White Fang leader. Blinded by power, belief in protection through his leadership and effective opposition to their enemies. Although, she could honestly justify that her obliviousness to his true intentions were merely the result of admiration and personal attachment to Adam.

"Come with us." Yuma, the bat Faunus, directed Blake to follow them into the hideout. As such, Yuma signalled the guards with the 'all clear signal'; a simple snap of her fingers, making them fall at ease and followed them. Basically, Blake was given permission to enter. Now, all she had to worry about was Sienna Khan herself.

Ilia, on the other hand, stayed by her close friend's side. Blake could see her agitation as clear as, well… quite literally, the skin on her face. The dark red tone gave off a frightened vibe from the chameleon Faunus. It all seemed like Ilia was living a quiet, but stable life among her fellow brothers in the Concord Dawn branch. So, when word has reached of Blake's apparent betrayal, it was probably something that Ilia was not prepared for.

She was just glad that she had returned by her side in the nick of time. However, just as she was about to walk, she felt the surging wound on her stomach, forcing her down to the ground. Ilia caught her just in time, carrying her by the arm. She saw Blake grasping her stomach as she was helped up by her friend, cringing in pain.

"We have to let you rest, Blake." Ilia suggested with concern. "You can't see Miss Khan like this."

"No… time…" Blake barely muttered in between groans.

"You're hurt, Blake!" exclaimed Ilia. "And you know Miss Khan doesn't tolerate subjects coming to her, weak and frail." She then gave Blake a solemn look, with compassion and trust. It was the same face that Blake had grown accustomed to during her earlier days in the White Fang, from a comrade who she could trust with all her heart. "Please… For me."

Blake decided to put that into consideration for a while. After another brutal sting, she was forced to concede. After all, Ilia and the other two members she saw earlier were now among the best under Khan's leadership. If she were to be threatened, she would trust them to protect her and Sienna Khan against the threat of Adam.

Giving one soft smile, Blake then rested her body to let Ilia take her to a suitable spot to rest. It was the most relaxed feeling she had after everything that happened.

* * *

"What?!" The loud, growling roar of Sienna Khan echoed throughout the large throne room of her hideout. The orange décor across the room, fitted with brown pillars and wall torches throughout the walls, mixed in well with her wild demeanour, not to mention her own visual similarities of an orange striped tusk-cat. Inside the ruler of the White Fang was as red, with utter shock and bewilderment, as the jewel stuck on her forehead. "She is here?!"

The gaze of the leader was as deadly as that of an actual predator, staring down its prey with hunger and bloodthirst. The aggressiveness that only came somewhat restrained by her own beliefs in careful planning in the ways of the White Fang. A single servant bowed down in absolute fear from the wrath of Sienna Khan's anger.

"Yes, my Lord." The hooded messenger shivered. You did not need to be Khan to figure it out; his body was already vibrating from the cold terror of meeting her eyes. "Blake Belladonna has arrived. And she wishes to see you, mistress."

The angered lord slumped back straight on her chair, rubbing her head from the sudden arrival of an unwelcome traitor into her hideout. She could have had her guards dispatch Blake, or whoever would have let her in. However, other than the fact that Blake had betrayed Adam Taurus' cell, there was something very off about the whole ordeal. Something she had just realized when thinking about what has been said to her.

Adam Taurus had made good with his word that Belladonna was exterminated. Now that she was here, what did that mean? Did Belladonna escape undetected, or was there something she was not being told of? Why did Adam specifically say that Blake had been shot down by his men and sent crashing into the dense forests of Concordia?

Whatever the case, she was here and she had some concerns regarding the apparent falsification of Adam's claims. Blake Belladonna was here, and she had something to say to her. Could this be about Adam Taurus? Did she know something about him that could actually be for her to take heed from?

Blake Belladonna has been said to be a very loyal Faunus warrior for the White Fang, being part of the fight against the galaxy's hatred of her kind ever since her predecessors formed the organization. Even up to now, she had come to ensure that the integrity of the White Fang be preserved to continue the fight.

For now, she wondered; could Adam Taurus be up to something that forced Blake here to Concord Dawn? For now, however, she had to dismiss any problems for the day. She had been informed that Belladonna was given permission to rest. Khan had decided to let Blake be sheltered in here for one day before she could be allowed into her premises.

Sienna had to be more focused on the sudden arrival of Mandalorian Protector scouts surveying the area nearby. She cursed at the sudden arrival of, presumably, the best of their pilots to search out for her brothers' whereabouts after the reported attacks by Adam's cell.

Damn that Fenn Rau and his Skull Squadron… responsible for the heaviest of casualties in some of the White Fang's operations. As if things could have been complicated enough…

* * *

 _A day later_

After a much needed day of rest, Blake had managed to be healed of the wounds she sustained from her escape. It wasn't much to fix the damages, using the less-effective kolto, instead of the more commonplace bacta, to sooth the pain. Now, after recovering, she was now outside the throne room of Sienna Khan, joined by Ilia, Yuma and Trifa.

"Why would Adam do such a thing?" asked Trifa, leaning her back against the railing, built within a large open window that stretched from the floor to almost a quarter of a distance away from the rocky ceiling. From out the window, the tower where Sienna's throne was built stood above the canyons, with the surface plain in sight. To the outside world, the tower seemed to be an abandoned control tower, unaware that it had been refitted to become the traditional White Fang ceremonial quarters of their great leader. The only light illuminating the top floor were the candle lights, placed on small bowls to become wall lamps, that would be shut off to avoid detection once alerted by sentries far off from the hideout's location.

The conversation about Adam Taurus and his apparent plans to overthrow Sienna Khan have been very confusing to the members of the White Fang. Blake could relate to the unawareness of any possibility. Those days, Blake always used to think that the White Fang had the right to act against those who threatened them, with the notion that they attacked the organization first. The need to level up to more radical but necessary defensive action was justified, and she always thought Adam was the right man for the job.

Adam's influence on her was almost like pure poetry to Blake. Over time working with him, she had grown even closer to him, and she thought he felt the same way. Eventually, there was some actual signs of attraction between them, giving Blake even more hope that he would reciprocate what she felt for him. Now, however, the poetic charm of Adam was nothing more than brainwashing. Along with once-conceived devotion for Faunus rights, everything about him was a lie. A lie that she foolishly let slip past her usual conscience.

"Apparently, he had become Viszla's pet, willing to do whatever it takes to please his master." stated Blake. For the first time in almost forever, she had taken the liberty to taunt Adam for his malicious intentions. "I can't believe he would dare go against our ideals."

"I don't know, Blake." said Ilia. "Maybe there was a good reason to, you know, level up the playing field."

"No." Blake retorted. "There could only be escalation when Lord Khan says so. Adam has no right in increasing our threats to our enemies. And the way Death Watch is letting it happen, Khan has to act against them as well."

"Hmph." Yuma snorted. "I wouldn't mind a bit of action. That Duchess Satine and the rest of her fellow scum have been allowing our worst foes to get through their borders for the past century now. I wouldn't mind snapping a few necks and listen to their blood-curling screams…"

"Be careful, Yuma." Trifa shut him up. "That sentence goes out to everyone, you'll be having your name on their blacklist." Yuma rolled his eyes, ignorant of his partner's usual demand for serious courtesy.

"What do you plan on telling Lord Khan, Blake?" asked Ilia. Blake didn't have the exact words planned for Sienna Khan, but what she did know was that, no matter what she had to say, the White Fang must not tremble down to the extreme level of committing open violence. The Faunus species in general was at great danger from the galaxy being given the perfect excuse to discriminate them more.

"I'm not sure yet, but the truth has to come out." confessed Blake.

"You do know that Sienna Khan still sees Death Watch as our greatest ally, right? It's not going to be easy convincing her of their 'bad' influence." added Yuma.

"There are always other ways do pursue our goals." Blake assured again. "I'm sure Lord Khan will understand." She knew Lord Khan would not allow the White Fang to be held responsible for attacking the Republic without any consent. They would target only those they **knew** would be out to intentionally hurt their kind. The Hutts, certain smuggler parties, slave traders, Zygerrians… But most of all, the Schnee Mining Corporation. Despite the Republic's promises to protect Faunus rights, there were not many planets eager to lend their full support, with the count lessened further now that the Senate was currently dealing with the threat of the Separatists.

After a good discussion over Adam's plans, the group decided to disband, allowing Blake her time off. However, she had one more thing to do before she could enter the throne room of the leader of the White Fang. Quickly, she called for Ilia to stand by her side. The lizard Faunus told her two friends to leave her be, joining her old friend by the railing, overlooking the setting sun at the end of the planet's dusk.

They stared out in peace, focusing on the serene beauty of the darkening atmosphere, blanketing the surface with a purple fill with orange glow, that would soon become fully dark blue to build up on the dark of the night. It's always these romantic scenes that Blake grew to love, having to read about such beautiful iconography from her books, only to be at awe with the real thing when seeing it for herself.

"It's nice, huh?" Ilia commented, though not as poetic of a mind compared to Blake. "The sunset?"

"Hmmm…" Blake agreed, before thinking about the harsh reality of her situation. "Can't imagine when we'll ever enjoy this view again, now that Adam's out to get me." Then, once more, the two were quiet as the land before them. Blake continued to go blank with questions regarding what her future was going to be from now. The shattering of her trust for the White Fang left her with many possibilities. There was so much she could do, but she couldn't escape the reality that Faunus out there are suffering from the everyday problems that the Republic could not fix at this time.

If the White Fang wasn't her calling, then what was? What could she do to fulfil her destiny?

"You sure Adam is out to get us?" Ilia interrupted her trip into her thoughts. "It would be disastrous when word goes out for his arrest." Blake did not utter a word, letting the thought of fighting her old partner sink in. She had to be prepared to stand up to Adam once more, if the White Fang, or what was left of it, had any chance of maintaining its way of fighting against the true enemies of Faunus kind.

"It has to be done, Ilia." Blake sighed. "This has gone too far. I know Lord Khan wouldn't sit still for this. The least I can do is warn her over the threat of her assassination." Ilia looked back at the horizon with the chilling idea of seeing the White Fang crumble between two sides; Adam and his apparent followers, and the entire White Fang loyal to Khan. The organization she called home was about to crumble down in civil war at worst. She couldn't bear to swallow the possibility of undergoing a divided group of Faunus warriors, when the real enemy was out there, plotting to exterminate her species.

"I suppose you're right." Still, she had to put her skills to the test, should the conflict between the White Fang come to her home. Unfortunately, unknown to Ilia, she was unaware that Blake was starting to doubt the very cause she had always grown up following.

Many in the White Fang could not understand how many species in the galaxy got the chance to form relations with one another, while the Faunus, no different from every other species, descended to become one of many scum in the galaxy. Countless non-human beings were descendants of those who suffered through hatred by the human race long before her time, during the crusades of Pius Dea. Surely, they would have understood what the Faunus had been through. Unfortunately, eons of war and strife had probably reduced all understandings towards Blake's species to nothing more than opportunities for activist movements or small attempts by some, including the Jedi, to help protect and influence.

It left Blake with the troubling questions after deciding to finish her time in the White Fang. What would she do next? Where could she go to find herself again? What about the fight to end Faunus discrimination? What would happen to the fight against hatred and corruption if the White Fang, the one organization she thought was the best chance against the forces of violence against her species, broke apart and be left fragmented in scraps?

There were so many of these dizzying questions that were blasting her in the head, constantly twisting her heart in confusion and distress over the fate of everything she hoped to gain. Then again, from being part of this violent force for so long, what did she really gain?

Nothing but wasted lives and outcomes that only brought the White Fang closer to war than salvation for the Faunus…

She had only one thing that was certain; she and Ilia had to leave as far away as they could. The problem as; would Ilia listen? Blake understood that Ilia had become a prominent member of the White Fang. After her whole life had been shattered by tragedy, she came to her rescue when she needed help the most. Through that, they gained much experience fighting alongside each other. Over time, Ilia could feel right at home here, fighting against the perpetrators who would hurt others like her. The people around her became her new family, and Blake was someone like a big sister to Ilia.

She owed her whole new life to the White Fang, separating from it would seem like leaving home, or worse, treason…

Still, Blake had to try. She felt that the organization was no place for them to save Faunus kind from here. If they had to improve lives, it had to be elsewhere.

"Ilia?" Finally, Blake broke out of her silent demeanour. "I have a little favour to ask of you."

"What is it?" Ilia asked back. Blake was in silence yet again. She was afraid what Ilia might say about leaving the White Fang. Taking the importance of Faunus rights to less volatile standards, she continued to propose her idea.

"Once Adam is dealt with, I want us to leave the White Fang behind." The announcement of her plans hit Ilia hard. The younger Faunus girl was beyond appalled by what Blake had suggested.

"What?" Her breath kept escaping slowly from her mouth as she gasped at Blake.

Blake definitely saw this coming. However, perhaps with persuasion through conversation, maybe she could convince her that the way of the White Fang was not the right way.

"After everything that is about to happen, I'm just not sure if this is the right place to save our kind. There has to be a better way for us to make a difference." She stared off into the late evening sky as it turned to night, darkening the atmosphere even further, making the lights from the torches brighten the room. "There could always be other ways to fight what is happening to us Faunus. I just don't think the White Fang is one of those ways."

Blake then felt the urge to move on, without looking at Ilia. She felt that her passion needed to come out strong, so staring off into the area would lessen her burden.

"I've been thinking about it for a long while now. All those times we had together; we made a difference even long before my dad retired from the White Fang. Perhaps if we could find elsewhere to do more for Faunus kind out there, then we can finally show the galaxy that our plight can no longer be accepted." She brushed her stomach, to where she was previously shot by Adam's blaster. The memories of witnessing her former partner's crimes had given her more mental scars than the one she just took to the stomach. Seeing him execute unarmed prisoners without mercy, to the duel they had, right to the moment where she was scarred, and then finally, her escape from the place she once called home. Everything that transpired left her without any other option than to run, finally realizing that the White Fang was no longer the way to achieve Faunus equality among the galaxy.

"That's how we should have fought, but we allow extremism like this to take over our judgement, we'll lose our way. That is why we should leave the White Fang. We need to find a better calling in our fight against the hate we did not deserve."

Blake shook her head, concluding her speech and hoping that Ilia would at least be acceptant towards the idea of Blake running off to find another way. She closed her eyes, ready for whatever reaction Ilia would give her. She did, though, hope that she would be considerate to join her, like she always did.

"But what about everything we fought for?" No. Not this time. "Everything we lost? What about the sacrifices that we had to endure and grieve for this entire time?" Blake did not wish to look at the face of a distraught Ilia as she was baffled by the sudden change of heart. "Blake. Please tell me you are really not deserting us." The volume of her voice increased with the anxiety of seeing her good friend go. Worse still, Ilia couldn't believe that Blake would ever think of taking her away from the White Fang. This was where she proved herself; the place where she could finally get her justice against the cruel galaxy for ruining her life. She thought of all people, Blake would be the one to show her the path of the White Fang. And yet, here she was, telling her that it was the wrong path of choice.

"Ilia. I understand how much this organization means to you, but…"

"No, Blake." Ilia interrupted. Blake finally watched as Ilia's skin transformed gradually into a bright red colour, with her skin patches turning yellow as bright as the torch fires around them. "You don't understand. Why would you think about leaving the White Fang, after everything we've done to help our kind survive?" Closer and closer, Ilia turned into fury and outrage, betrayal filling up in her heart. "How could you think that the galaxy has a chance of understanding what we've been through?!"

"But Ilia…"

"I don't want to leave!" Now, she yelled, tears were now coming out of her eyes as soon as she raised her voice. "This has been the only place I can call home! The proving grounds to shape me into the warrior I was meant to be! My family was killed because of the rats who dared leave them for dead! How can you expect me to leave this place and try to make a living out there?! Don't you remember how much the galaxy hates us?!"

"I know!" Suddenly, Blake erupted herself, channelling her anger towards a stunned Ilia. "And I am scared! Scared that we would have to face an unforgiving galaxy of hatred and violence! But how could we ever have our chance to thrive if we stay here with Adam, as he destroys everything we worked so hard for?!" She clenched her fist so hard that it her claws could have pierced right into her delicate skin. Not long after, she went to the railing and slammed her fist into the metal bar. The pain sustained was nothing compared to the surging agony in her heart for everything that had turned out around her. "This is not how the White Fang should have been! All of this! We are losing our way! Don't you even care about the rest of the Faunus in the galaxy, suffering from the same violence and torture we're committing to innocents?!" Ilia's tears continued to pour as her best friend let her rage consume her usual calm nature. The irises on Blake's yellow eyes shrunk into a thin line, turning the usually silent Blake into a feral beast.

"At the end, we aren't saving the Faunus! We are the very monsters that we swore to destroy!" At the top of her voice, Blake had reached the point of absolute fury, practically roaring at the now timid Ilia. Throughout her life in the White Fang, she had never seen Blake erupt into this wild, ravenous form. It was absolutely terrifying, almost like she was about to be eaten by this rabid tusk-cat, preying upon the meek little lizard.

The lizard Faunus shrunk back to her fearful colour tone, fallen devastated beyond recovery. Blake raised her eyes, irises restored to the round, peaceful form. Realizing what she had done, she immediately fell into regret. Backing off from her terrified friend, she turned around in fear. She beat herself up inside, not believing that she had become enraged like that, towards Ilia. She soon had tears of her own, still in disbelief that she had allowed her emotions to fire her up and make her blind from showing Ilia the best of her understanding.

Covering her mouth with her hands, she slowly turned around to see Ilia, still dark red with the colour of fright. She quickly ran up to her and wrapped her into a tight embrace. She squeezed as tightly as she could, tearing up after her outburst. There was no doubt in Blake's mind that she had made the biggest mistake with her friendship with Ilia.

"I'm sorry, Ilia." she quietly sobbed. "I shouldn't have raised my voice like that." Thankfully, Ilia returned the hug, two of her arms wrapping Blake's back. They could feel each other trembling from their argument, it seemed like they were taken aback by their sudden rage towards one another, that they had been hurt by the anger they forced.

After their embrace, a quiet moment passed by, not one word to break the awkwardness. Both were now processing in their heads of what would happen next. The future had now been bleak over what should befall them after what they once thought to be unbreakable dreams, now seen as romanticized delusions.

"So…" Finally, Ilia broke the silence, seemingly shattered from what she once believed in. "Where do you think we should go to?" Blake gave a soft, hopeful smile. Ilia seemed to have been broken through by her determination to continue doing what they had to do without going through with the violence and extremism the White Fang was about to dissolve into.

"I heard Dantooine is good this time of year." She gave a half-hearted move to lighten up the mood.

"What about your family back at Menagerie?" Then, Ilia suggested elsewhere, referring to Blake's old tropical home on the small moon of Menagerie, orbiting Anima. However, the harsh memories of Blake's last moments on the world had flooded back to haunt her. There was no way the people of the moon would ever forget the heart-wrenching events that unfolded on that day, going back now would seem like too soon of a chance to make things right. Could they ever forgive her for the mistakes she made?

No. She thought, no. How could her parents ever forgive her for backing out on them?

"I…" The stone doors open behind them, stopping Blake from reliving the tenacious day. A guard emerged from the door, looking at her specifically.

"Miss Belladonna." The guard would have heard the argument they just had and wondered if it was a good idea to intrude for the announcement. However, Blake certainly hoped he didn't. "Miss Khan has granted your permission to see her."

This was it. Time to bury the past and embrace a new future. A future where she could find a new, proper way to make a difference for the galaxy. She could leave the White Fang with a warning, and a chance to make itself look back and see what went wrong, but after she would speak to Lord Khan, there was no going back.

"I gotta go." She reluctantly left Ilia to meet with the leader herself. before then, she looked back and called her. "And Ilia…" Though Ilia never looked at her, she gave a knowing smile, grateful that Ilia made the effort to follow Blake to a new cause. "Thanks."

"Sure thing, Blake." Ilia whispered. Blake then entered the room, leaving the doors closed, soon after. Ilia, however, had been left broken and devastated by the revelation that her own best friend had been changing her mind of how things are done in the White Fang. Her fists still crushed in hard, angered and confused.

* * *

Blake stepped into the throne room, just over the red carpet to feel the commanding presence of Sienna Khan. The Mistress herself sat on the throne, staring down on Blake from the distance.

Blake braved the empowering glare from Khan. This was actually the first time she had ever met with the leader of the White Fang, having spent her entire loyalty and time following Adam. Her first meeting with Khan was, above all else, the most frightening she had ever been in. She gulped into her guts and walked straight towards the front of the warlord's throne, flanked by two lines of the elite guard standing attentively at the service of their leader. Upon stopping closely, she knelt down humbly at her presence before raising her head to face Khan.

"Speak your business on our home, Miss Belladonna." demanded Sienna Khan. "Attempt to do anything foolish, and my guards wouldn't hesitate to end your miserable existence." Blake eyed the very guards who were responsible for the task of ending the lives of any ungrateful guest. They certainly would do the task favourably. Some of them did just threaten to stab her down yesterday, after all.

"Mistress Khan…" Blake spoke to her. "My intentions to come here are not to harm you. I come in peace, still willing to see that you are well. Unfortunately, I am here with very disturbing news about Adam Taurus." Sienna Khan responded with a disbelieving tsk of her tongue, refusing to believe that one of the most successful branches of the organization would be of any harm to it.

"I'm afraid Taurus has already informed me of your betrayal of the White Fang, Belladonna." informed Khan. "What can you possibly hope to achieve by coming here, where I should have you finished?"

"I need to warn you of what he shall do to you if he has his chance." pleaded Blake, putting into details of the leads towards his upcoming plans. "He had executed soldiers of Mandalore that he had taken prisoner. He seeks to do the same to everyone else."

"Do you not realize that is what we should be doing?" insisted Khan, thinking Blake had been alluded away from the purpose of the White Fang; of what it stood for. Yes, it was built to destroy anyone who would threaten them, so why should there be a problem of exterminating enemies who poise to take them down?

"He is willing to break our secrecy and declare war on all of our enemies, even going as far as to include the Republic, should they get in his way!" Blake raised her voice, startling the warlord.

"Adam Taurus has been our most loyal warrior of the White Fang." defended Khan again. "He would never betray the ideals of what we stand for, neither would he betray our oath to maintain order and fight within the shadows of our enemies. We have never stumbled due to his leadership of his branch." She then got up from her seat, the two guards at the sides of the throne nearing her as she closed in on the cowardly fool who dared defied her. "So, do tell me if that is not enough to make him a valued warrior in our organization?"

Blake hissed quietly. It would appear that she wasn't the only one smitten by the killer charm and deceivingly strong will to save Faunus kind from torturous deeds. She couldn't blame Sienna Khan for being led to believe that Adam would help provide the militaristic force the organization needed to instil fear and terror to any enemy who passed by. Unfortunately, it was this entrustment from his missions that gave him even more power to commit whatever he wished. Even Lord Khan was not getting the whole picture, and Blake had to remind her of what the White Fang should really stand for.

"He wants more." Blake growled, staring at the warlord with a cold, truthful gaze. "And you know the only way he could achieve that amount of power. I can imagine he shall do far worse than what he claims me to do."

"What makes you think that Adam Taurus would kill me? He knows his place, Belladonna, and shall continue to do so!" reminded Khan. Blake could not sit still for this lack of foresight over the chance for Adam to sneak right in and destroy the organization's true beliefs.

"Do you not see the repercussions of what he might bring upon us if he decides to attack the Republic? If you are not concerned about what might befall you, then at least consider what would happen if we let him run mad like some… monster!" Her anger grew to a sudden level, fuming inside with the fear of running the organization to the ground because some lunatic was running wild with power. Moreover, the fear that the galaxy would retaliate against her species grew even worse than ever. "The galaxy will see us as real terrorists. They won't just see the White Fang as a threat, but they will see all of Faunus kind as the growing danger! They will truly see us as a pestilence, and every single Faunus out there will be persecuted, suffering from unimaginable punishment and discrimination; accused for crimes that they would never commit!" She then stood up, letting her drive to save lives take over her emotions move her to oppose and show Khan what it really meant to be a warrior of justice. "I answer for all of our kind that if we stoop to the level of those who truly brings us to ruin, then what will we become?!"

Khan was silent, surprisingly startled by Blake's wrath, roaring her indignation of the absence of the organization's true ideals. For a warrior to be this compassionate of how the White Fang should have been was very… truthful. She knew that Blake Belladonna was one of their most loyal of the organization, even long before he joined. After all, she was the daughter of the very man who started all of this. If there was someone who had some sense left in keeping things in line, it was Blake.

That was not all Blake had to show for what had been going on behind Khan's back.

"Adam… tried to kill me." Sienna Khan squinted her eyes, somewhat curious with Blake's claim of what had happened to her. "I caught him executing his plan to attack the galaxy in open arms, and he tried to wipe out all witnesses that would stand against him." She opened up the lower half of her shirt to reveal the identical wound on her stomach.

Khan sneered. No doubt, she thought. The way the wound, still fresh, was seen to have some form of tiny vein-like patterns emerging from the centre of where the blast hit Blake. Red wired lines, flashing every second with a red glow.

Only one known source of weaponry could have caused such unmistakable markings. The red crubik crystals that were abundant in most of the caverns and valleys of Mandalorian planets, like the ones found on Concordia. If one was to be wounded by cuts sustained by the crystals, the energy from them was said to cause internal damage to the bloodstream, attacking the arteries and veins of the body and making the blood overflow until the victim blows up from the inside.

It was a terrible fate that no one, especially the White Fang who have hidden their bases in the same homes of these crystal deposits, wanted to go through. As such, weaponizing these deadly crystals were highly discouraged.

Tragically, as far as she knew, only one member of the White Fang could have ever had the guts to use such deadly materials to cause such fear and pain. A crubik crystal, converted into a power source for a blaster she had seen put to use on several occasions before.

Adam Taurus.

Blake was lucky. Had she not been protected by the _beskar_ armour she discarded earlier, she would have taken the full blow of the blaster's deadly power. Coupled by the physical firepower of the blaster on its own, though, it was more than enough to infect her with only a taste of the crystal's power. From that hit, some of its fatal essence still entered her body, causing only painful stinging that was excruciating at first, but the feeling would not last long. After a galactic day resting in the Khan hideout, the pain was gone; the wound, however, was still bright as day.

After inspecting the wound from afar, Khan grew suspicious. The voice of Blake, added with the visible scar she sustained, was clearly a sign that something was building up in the shadows, darker areas where even Khan herself was blind. It was a concerning matter to see the signs of a coming betrayal, about to be unfolded right before her very eyes. Perhaps Blake had some merit in her warning that it could be worth watching out for.

Thus, considering her chances, Khan returned to her seat, delivering the next course of action.

"Miss Belladonna." said Khan. "Your concern is appreciated. I'm afraid I am not fully convinced that Adam Taurus would betray me, or the rest of the White Fang." Blake sunk her head, hiding the disappointment from being seen. "However, I can sense your compassion for the Faunus. Judging by the wound you sustained from him, I shall continue to monitor Adam Taurus' activities, and speak with him about this supposed rise to power of his."

Once again, Blake fell alarmed by the idea of Khan heading straight for Taurus, just as he may had expected her to do.

"No, my liege!" she shouted. "You can't! That is exactly what he wants! If you go out there to him, he will kill you at the spot." Despite the warnings, Khan raised her hand up, keeping Blake shut.

"It is my sworn duty, as the true leader of the White Fang, to address the problems and dangers posed on our organization. And I shall deal with them myself." Blake could not let Khan go out on her own to deal with Adam. She brushed aside her past hesitation to return to him, devoted to put his mad plans down alongside the true leadership, or at least, what was left of it, of the White Fang.

"Then I must come with you." she suggested, willing to give Khan the backup she needed to handle such treacherous, misguided souls. "I know Adam. I shall provide you with assistance should he attempt to attack you." Khan thought about Blake's insistence for a bit. It would be a good idea to have someone, who had been working in Adam's branch for years, direct her and her forces to handle the ins and outs of the Concordia base and its attendees. With reluctance, she gave Blake the permission to assist in the situation.

"Very well." Blake rose from the floor, following Khan to the door where they began to move out towards Khan's personal ship.

"Guards, prepare my ship." she told her guards. The soldiers behind her trailed behind to accompany their leader to the hangar bay. Blake could finally feel things coming to motion to leave the White Fang behind to save itself before it would destroy any opposition against the despicable individuals who dared hurt Faunus everywhere.

The company reached the doorway, expecting the two guards to open up the doors for them. However, just when she reached them, she stopped. She scanned her eyes on the two guards, who stood still, not opening the doors. They just idly remained in their positions without moving at all.

"Guards." growled Khan. "Open the doors."

The guards still remained standing at their places. The first time seemed to be a stupid blunder. This second time, however, Blake felt an eerie disturbance. Something was off with these guards at how they just refused to respond to their leader's order. She felt the hairs on her skin starting to erect with nervousness. Turning around, she could see the rest of the elite guard, standing at attention as usual. Unfortunately, they were also giving off that suspicious vibe.

"What is this?!" Khan seemed to feel the tension as well, yelling at the two for their ignorance. Blake then felt her nerves tingle even more, realizing that there was something really wrong with the guards. Her hand moved towards Gambol Shroud on her belt, as if preparing to spring herself from what she sensed.

 **SHINK!**

Sienna Khan gasped, followed by a clean sound of flesh being cut out.

"No!" Blake shouted in alarm, finally realizing the whole ordeal.

It was a trap.

Khan's vision blurred, looking down to see a thin blade at front, appearing as if it had been run through her chest. She felt the massive pain in her chest, cutting her off from all feelings in her body. Her breath had been stopped cold, muffled further by a single hand wrapped on her mouth. Slowly, the leader started to fade away from her life, falling into a state of nothingness as her consciousness slipped away. All before hearing the words she dreaded to hear…

"I thank you for everything, Sienna."

And with one pull of the blade from her body, Sienna Khan fell to the ground, dead.

Blake ran back in fear, almost running out of breath from the agony she had suddenly been thrown with. Watching Khan's body slump to the ground, her worst fears had come true. Before long, she was soon faced with ten spears being directed at her by the guards, as if they suddenly changed their allegiance.

Then, she saw him. The man who murdered Sienna Khan right before her eyes. And of all the people to do it, it was the worst of the lot…

"Did you really think we wouldn't know what you were going to do, Blake?" Adam turned his body to face Blake, smirking as he pushed his blood-soaked blade back into his holster. "So predictable, my dear."

"You…" She couldn't speak, already white to the bone. The sight of Adam Taurus, extinguishing another life in cold blood, froze her in place. His murderous grin sickening her, and his power over the masses, hopelessly overpowering. He was already one step ahead of the game and Blake was caught right in the middle. She could have seen this coming, and yet, she decided to run ahead anyway without reconsidering. Thus, she was too late to do anything. The guards kept their visual on her, spears pointing menacingly at her with prejudice. "You're not going to get away with this, Adam!" she raised her voice at Adam, mustering what little courage she had left.

"I'm afraid I already have, Blake." said Adam, rubbing the stains of Khan's blood on his armour. "Khan should have played a more vital role in our plans to wipe away the galaxy of our enemies."

"Is it really our enemies that you are attempting to attack?!" added Blake, still fierce in her gaze. "You're just targeting the galaxy itself! Threatening to bring the Republic down on all of us! Don't you realize what you're doing is going to destroy us all?!"

"If we do not do anything, then we will be destroyed anyway!" Adam yelled back, arrogance turned to instant rage. "The galaxy has made monsters out of us, and what did we do to fix things?! Make the White Fang some political, equal rights movement that has failed to gain any momentum to end our suffering!" Blake felt that rage burning right through her own sense of fury. She felt like the frightened little kitten in the face of the terror of the bull's horns, waiting to impale her.

What he was about to say next, though, was the stab at the heart.

"Negotiations and petty protests have failed us. And so has your father…" Blake clenched her fists hard and tough from the mention of her father, angered further by Adam's insult towards him. That sense of vexation was then pushed off by the painful memories of leaving her family behind, putting her in a state of helplessness.

Adam nodded to the guards, calling on them to corral around Blake like a herded animal in the middle of a pride of narglatchs. In a circular formation, they pointed their spears collectively towards her, trapping her in an unescapable trap. Adam took his sword out again before pointing it at Blake. He moved in between two of the guards to threaten her once more. Again, the recall of her duel with him haunted her.

"I am giving you one last chance, Blake." he threatened with venom in his voice. "Join us… or die…"

Blake looked around her, seeing no escape from her encirclement of enemies all around her. She could go up with a jump, fly over them and make a run for it. It would have been easy, if it weren't for Adam having his blaster ready to fire at her, the moment she'd try.

There was only one other way to go around with this. She reached for her pocket, seemingly going for Gambol Shroud, and giving everyone the idea that she was going to fight back. She then swung out, startling the men to act.

 **BRAM!**

Suddenly, instead of an attacking traitor, the guards found themselves swallowed up by a thick cloud of smoke, bursting out from where Blake stood. The thick smog got into their noses and mouths, forcing them to cough up and losing sight of their victim, despite their masks protecting them from blindness. Adam was hit the least, for being the furthest from her. He stayed where he was and scanned into the smoke as best he could. He could have seen Blake's tricks coming from a parsec away.

Apparently, he thought, that was what she was good at… Running away…

And the answer was as plain as day when he heard the stone doors behind him open up. Looking around, he saw the two guards beaten down in an instant, leaving the doors literally wide open. He growled, walking towards the exit to have his men run after her before she escapes again.

"Get her!" The guards left the cloud of smoke, now fading away, and ran out the door to pursue the traitor. Adam, meanwhile, stayed behind, walking towards the lifeless corpse of Sienna Khan, laying beneath his eyes. He turned to the two guards, now regaining conscience, and ordered them to clean up the mess.

"Take her body to the lower levels. I want a memorial burial conducted in her honour." The guards complied, coming over to lift the body gently as they could. Adam would let the whole White Fang know that their leader had been assassinated, killed in the hands of a traitor. "Inform the whole base that Blake Belladonna had killed Lord Khan."

He would then turn around, setting his sights upon the goals of the current phase of his plan to gain power. He walked towards the now vacant seat that represented the absolute leadership of the White Fang, now rightfully his.

Today, Sienna Khan had died a martyr today. At least, as Adam planned to lie about. And from now on, Blake Belladonna was now the crude enemy who betrayed the White Fang.

Onto his next plan…

* * *

Blake ran, harder than she ever did. Without her jetpack, she was left with a handicap. Though, she did learn to rely more on her traditional physical traits, never to always depend on state-of-the-art technology to bring her through the storm.

She ran through the stone corridors, taking out each White Fang guard that was, by now, already aware that Blake had 'assassinated' Lord Khan without mercy. Adam had told the guards to do the only punishment for those who have killed their leader.

Death without question.

Blake knew that Adam didn't wish to kill her just because it was the necessary action, but rather, he would erase the one witness with any chance of proving to the organization of the truth. From this point on, she was branded as enemy number one to the White Fang. Dead or alive, her name would be wrongfully engraved as the woman who destroyed the White Fang's true leader.

With so many people after her, she had no other choice but to look for the one person who was sure to follow her away from everything. She had already told Ilia of what she needed to know about what would happen now that Adam was about to be in charge. If she listened well, then she would be by Blake's side.

If that was the case, then perhaps some other members would also resist and not accept Adam as the traitor. However, all she told aloud about his betrayal only consisted of the elite guard and Yuma and Trifa. Knowing that the guard had somewhat chosen to betray their leader, she hoped that the latter two would also see the light.

Just then, at the corridor leading to the hangar bay, Blake felt a sudden tug of her legs, making her trip to the ground. A second later, she felt herself dragging in reverse, being pulled by some sticky substance at her legs. She looked behind to see that a web-like net had snared her legs together, followed by a thick line of the same substance leading to the one responsible for the trap.

To Blake's horror, she could see Yuma and Trifa, staring at her as the spider girl grabbed a hold of her webbing to tug Blake in. The grinning look on both of their faces told Blake everything about them. They had fallen for Adam's tricks as well. Or had they? They were well aware of what Adam was up to against Khan, so when Blake saw them trying to catch her, she was mortified by the truth of their real loyalties.

"You two!" she exclaimed, just as she grabbed Gambol Shroud to cut the webs loose. Trifa stumbled back after the cut. Blake got back up, blade out to defend herself. "You knew about this, didn't you?" She practically snarled at the two backstabbing conspirators. Somewhat, they must had been involved in the plans to help Adam overthrow Sienna Khan all along.

Without answering her, Yuma flapped his bat wings and flew towards Blake, claws threatening to cut her down. Blake defended herself with her blade, knocking him back into a back flip to the ground. Landing on his two feet, Yuma prepared for another go at Blake.

"Khan was always a big pain in the ass." chuckled Yuma, coldly. He then flew up again, right above Blake, and lunged his two feet down, attempting to tackle Blake down. She rolled to the side before Yuma crashed down his feet on the stone floor. As soon as Yuma touched down, he went right away to use his fists and legs to attack her. Blake slashed with her Gambol Shroud to even up the fight. Yuma matched up the fight with his own agility, catching Blake's arms to brush off her blade from slicing him. Blake then tried to give Yuma one powerful kick, but the flying warrior ducked down below the leg. She then spun around to recover, before Yuma gave her one punch to the head. The punch threw her back to the wall, and right before Blake could fall, the bat Faunus pinned her to the wall, grabbing onto her two wrists while she was hurt from the punch.

"Looks like you're out of fight, Belladonna." teased Yuma. Blake scowled at him, giving him a proper swipe at his right leg with her own and freeing her from his vice grip. But before she could deal with him with her blaster, she was shot at by the sticky webbings of Trifa, catching the pistol from her hand.

Trifa gave Blake a sneaky smirk before shooting more of the webbings at her. Blake cut through the incoming projectiles with her blade, slicing them all with accurate aiming. Unsuccessful, Trifa took out a double-bladed spear with two-serrated metal blades that, from what Blake saw, was secreted with some purple substance stained on them.

The spider warrior lunged her spear out, Blake parried the strike away, doing her best to avoid the venomous blade from even touching her skin. The deadly vibroblades were about as potent with Trifa's homemade poison, enough to paralyze an entire fambaa with one scratch. The speed of her attacks were quite fast, spinning the spear round before swinging it down in multiple slashes. Blake had to shift around to dodge all of Trifa's attacks, coming close from a few swipes. Finally, after Trifa swung one too heavy, Blake kicked the spear off her hands and tried to slash at her. Trifa managed to fire more webbings at Blake's body, just to distract her.

Giving his partner just enough space, Yuma saw his chance and kicked Blake at the back with one powerful thrust of his legs mid-flight. She fell to the ground, rolling across the corridor from the collision. Pained from the back, Blake struggled to get back up. She laid her eyes on the two partners, seeing that Trifa was about to do more with her webs to snare her down.

Blake clenched her fists in frustration, fed up with the constant punishment she was taking from their collaborative efforts. She had to end it before more reinforcements arrived. Then, she had one idea up in her head. Looking behind her, she found that she was just a few steps away from the door to the hangar bay. She might need some room to pull off what she was about to pull off, looking back at the two White Fang members closing in on her. She quickly got back up and ran towards the doors.

Trifa then fired more of her webs from the pores of her palms to pin her down again. Blake turned around to cut down the projectiles before running towards the hangar. When she reached there, Blake stopped just about midway towards her ship, on the walkway. Seeing that most of the White Fang's fighters from Adam's branch had docked in the bay, she was surprised no one was in the room, possibly inside still looking for her.

Blake then faced her two pursuers, just as she expected. Trifa then fired a long string of her webs towards her. That was when Blake jumped in to catch the web net with her bare fists. Catching Trifa off guard, she then gave it a rough spin, using up her strength to throw Trifa off the ground and in a swirling spinning cycle, dangling wildly at the end of her own webbing. Blake kept spinning round and around, until eventually, a panicked Yuma saw Trifa helplessly coming towards him like a mace. The spider woman crashed right into him, knocking them both out at once.

They both fell out of action at the side of the walkway, allowing Blake to let go of the webbing at last. Finally done with them, she ran for her ship at the other end, at the platform where she last landed it. From inside, she hoped to contact Ilia and rearm herself to go find her inside the hideout.

She ran for the ramp of the ship, preparing to enter it and get herself armed to the teeth. Suddenly, just as she was about to board her ship, she heard a couple of footsteps, like they were dropped down from the sky. Turning around, she swung her blade to point at the person about to come face to face with her.

Who she saw, however, was not an enemy. With great relief, she saw that the one person she put her full faith in had just arrived.

"Ilia." she sighed out in relief, coming over to grab Ilia's arms as the girl stood there. Blake was overwhelmed with joy, now that Ilia had just arrived, presumably having the same idea to find Blake's ship, so that the two could escape together. "We have to leave! Adam has killed Lord Khan, and the White Fang is about to fall in his hands. We have to leave immediately."

She turned around, expecting Ilia to follow behind. She was about to step aboard the ramp and into the ship to settle her only ally in and get her strapped to the seat to finally leave the White Fang behind.

 _Wait_ …?

She stopped. Blake stopped right in place. There was the same sudden chill that ran from her instinctive nature.

If Ilia was going to be with her to freedom…

Then why was she not moving? Not even calling out to Blake upon first meeting there? When she grabbed Ilia, her arms felt… cold. When she looked at her face, it was… stiff.

" _No…_ " Blake turned around, frightened that something was up with Ilia. Indeed, she was still standing very still, watching her precariously. Blake felt the cold chill once more, seeing Ilia's brows furrow into an angry look. Her fears were starting to get even worse when she saw the teeth, gritting with vile rage.

"Ilia?"

Ilia then took out her whip weapon… and tried to whack her.

 **THWACK!**

Blake, alarmed, jumped out of the way before the electrical cord came right down. The whip crackled with electricity as it hit the ground, barely missing her. She rolled out just in time, before confronting Ilia over the sudden attack.

Now, it was about to get very bad from here, as Blake grew distraught over seeing Ilia attempting to kill her. It was almost as if… No… She was definitely under the influence of Adam's radical pursuit of vengeance and power, that she would dispatch her for good. Ilia breathed heavily after the whip attack, grunting once at Blake in pure spite.

"I'm sorry, Blake, but we can't let you." growled Ilia. " **I** won't let you!" The lizard girl resumed whipping out, walking dangerously towards Blake as she cracked her whip here and there, charging the weapon with each kinetic strike.

Blake backed up, not once thinking about using Gambol Shroud to fight back. She couldn't. do it. Her close bond with Ilia was becoming her greatest handicap, forcing her to bring no ill will to the friend she held dearly.

"Ilia!" Blake tried to reason with her, but to no avail. "Why are you doing this?! What is wrong with you?!"

"If someone is clearly wrong, it is **you**! Don't you see what the galaxy has done to us?!" screamed Ilia, vexed and poison spat out from her voice. "They killed my parents, left them for dead, and has continued to make slaves and fools out of us all! I thought you would understand! ARGH!" She charged forward, finally giving Blake the reason to draw out her weapon. Ilia whipped her weapon at Blake, only for the latter to knock off the cord with her blade. However, Blake immediately retorted after receiving a dosage of the voltage from Ilia's weapon after hitting it. It was to be noted that Ilia's weapon would deliver a powerful shock charge that would send a shockwave with each hit on a solid surface, affecting anyone close, but the user herself.

Ilia swung again, whipping Blake's blade and delivering yet another round of electric shock that weakened her grip on Gambol Shroud. The sword fell down as Ilia moved in for another attack. The two clashed in an apparently unfair fight, with Blake forced to dodge the whips whacking down in violent strikes that made cracks on the concrete floor.

When Ilia was going to slap from the side, Blake dashed around Ilia, just before the whip hit and held her tight, locking her arms in with her own. Ilia tried to shake her off, furiously moving her body around like a mad reek.

"I **do** understand!" yelled Blake. "But this is not how we should fight it! The galaxy isn't our enemy. It is those who specifically threaten us on purpose!"

"Those people are the ones in power!" Ilia shouted back, having shaken off Blake and freed herself from the tight hold. She picked up her whip to resume her rampage, ranting while she continued to duel with Blake. "That goes for the Intergalactic Banking Clan, the Hutts, and those damned Schnee! And do you know what else? The Republic has done nothing to free us from this suffering!" Finally, Blake caught her again, holding on to her wrists as Ilia raised her arms up. "You have ashamed us, Blake. I shall take you to Lord Taurus, and he shall end you for good!"

"Ilia…" Blake didn't know what to do. She could keep fighting like this until she could get through with Ilia, or she would eventually tire out and fall before her closest friend. To make things worse, behind Ilia, she could see the doors of the hangar bay open to reveal more White Fang soldiers on the way.

Pressured by the reinforcements incoming, Blake had come to a defeated conclusion. There was simply no hope left for trying to convince Ilia, her old-time partner, to ever see the light. She was too consumed by hate and revenge, too angry to ever listen to her and believing that she had deserted the one true cause against Faunus discrimination.

Sometimes, you can't save the ones you love, all the time…

"I'm sorry, Ilia…" Reluctantly, Blake had to do the only thing she could to escape. A tear came down her eye when she was forced to do something she really didn't want to do. While locking Ilia's arms in place with one hand, she used her other hand to quickly draw her blaster out and pulled the trigger, shooting Ilia right at the stomach.

Ilia backed away after she was shot by the stun blast. Blake knew that Ilia would not see reason due to her rage, so she quickly swapped the weapon's firing mode to stun while she was defending herself against her. Still, the thought that she had to blindside Ilia with that blast was tear-jerking enough.

Unable to convince Ilia any further, she left her behind to reach her ship. Supposedly, she could have carried Ilia on board, but by the time she would do so, the guards were already close by, using their blasters to shoot her down. Thus, with no other way, she ran for the _Kom'rk_ fighter, running from her past.

"STOP HER!" The guards continued to open fire, even as Blake raised the boarding ramp. She scurried to activate her ship before the heavy weapons would come to shoot it down. Struggling to compose herself after the disastrous trip to the hideout, Blake hurriedly activated the ship's controls, got her fingers around the controls and flew off. The fighter successfully boosted itself away from the base as Blake, after taking one last look at a downed Ilia from the viewing glass, left behind her past with the White Fang… possibly for good.

She thrust the controls to full throttle, hoping to escape the planet before more of those fighters would be deployed for the hunt. She made the jump to orbit as fast as she could, having the ship being refuelled long before her meeting with Sienna Khan. Adam may had calculated her moves, but this was one shortcoming that he could have not foreseen.

All that mattered, however, was that the White Fang was now under his full control. No one was going to back her on this perilous journey anymore. The galaxy was at war, companies were going to escalate their policies against the Faunus to justify their prejudice against them, and all Blake had was herself, her weapons and this large ship she had stolen from Death Watch.

She lost a home, a cause to fight with, and most of all…

She lost a friend… From now on, there was only Blake Belladonna to find a new calling out there. In an unforgiving galaxy, she would take this path alone, with no one left to look for or depend on for support.

In tears from another horrid tragedy in her life, Blake had left everything behind with a heavy heart, wondering where it had all gone wrong…

With one flick of the hyperspace jump switch, Blake set her sights on the vortex as she was sucked into the other-worldly nexus to another star system. Who knew where she would end up, or who she would face? Questions that could be answered in time. For with her very heart set on protecting Faunus kind, Blake Belladonna was going to do it without bloodshed. Her regrets would have to wait; now…

She just needed to rebuild herself first…

* * *

White Fang Throne Room,

Concord Dawn,

Mandalore Space,

"So… you finally did it?" The hologram of Adam's greatest ally appeared right at the palm of his hand. The new leader of the White Fang sat relaxed atop the throne of the now martyred Sienna Khan, who was now dead as a rotten husk. Satisfied with his victory, he proudly declared his ascension to the throne to the leader of Death Watch himself.

Pre Viszla.

"Yes, Viszla." reported Adam with a victorious smirk. "I killed that worthless 'leader' of ours. Now, the White Fang shall answer to me."

"And for now, **you** shall answer to me." reminded Viszla. The Mandalorian fighter had his full attire on; a black helmet with deathly yellow markings shaped like spikes from the top part of his visor, and dark blue and black armour decorated to symbolize his leadership of Death Watch, added with a cape for further emphasis of his power. "Until we get you what you want, you shall continue to help us in the resurrection of our warrior past, and I shall give you and the White Fang the chance to exact your revenge. Only through us shall you achieve the goals you so desire."

Adam's grin grew wider, leaning in closer to the front to begin the next phase of his plan to have his revenge on the galaxy… for the greater good of all Faunus kind. The Republic had done enough to prove its ignorance, and now, many of the White Fang's enemies shall fear the day that they shall be executed by the very people they thought they could subjugate.

"Let us begin…" Adam said with grim coldness in his heart, waiting for the day that the White Fang would strike.

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**


	17. Finding the Warrior's Spirit

**A/N~ ****Getting these chapters done at a proper pace really does help in making my day! Not much has happened these past few days, so I'm trying to scramble out as much as I can.**

 **So for favourites and follows, thanks to raidriagk8, Rairi Valelira, Robbie2413, dragonbane522, Captain Shadow Blade and GRIM TICK for adding this story to your list of stories for your viewing pleasure!**

* * *

 **Chapter 9: Finding the Warrior's Spirit**

 **The biggest problem in this universe… is that no one helps each other…**

 _On the run!_

 _Upon the sudden death of Sienna Khan in the hands of the White Fang leader, Adam Taurus, Blake Belladonna escapes from her former comrades to find a new means to the fight against Faunus discrimination._

 _But as loss and betrayal sink into her heart, fear is the only thing inside that prompts her to run._

* * *

Running.

That was all Blake could ever think of. Even if she was still bent on helping Faunus lives out there in the wretched galaxy, the series of betrayals and twists in bonds had traumatized her to the point of running. Pain in her heart was as dreadful as an actual knife, stabbed right into her chest. Her emotions poured out like blood from an actual wound, slowly drenching her soul with utter sadness and distraught heartache.

First, her partner, the one person she idolized and admired, had turned into the very monster she swore to fight. The one person who could put down this beast was murdered right before her eyes. Worst of all, her best friend, the only person she trusted so much in her entire life, fell to the side of the extremists, nearly killing Blake in the process.

Running.

That was the only course of action to take to leave behind her troubles to embrace a new, shifty start to her mission to end Faunus discrimination. She had to find somewhere to rest up and plan out the next phase of her mission, alone. Within the swirling tunnel of hyperspace, Blake would travel elsewhere; somewhere free from the core of the White Fang, but not as far as, let's say, Coruscant, where the source of political upheaval in the galaxy was.

It had to be somewhere close, for her new _Kom'rk_ fighter could not make the tedious journey through the other side of the galaxy. Whether she liked it or not, she had to remain at the Tingel Arm, where it was unfortunately close to the brewing war between the Republic and the Separatists. She'd go a little further away from the borders of the conflict, to somewhere where the war was a decent distance away from.

Wherever Blake may go, she would make the most of what she had and build up on her fight to save her people. It all had to start somewhere, after all…

The answers were all at the end of the hyperspace lane, wherever she may have landed…

* * *

Dantooine,

After a short hyperspace jump, Blake was able to reach the right planet for her to rest. She didn't really go that far from Concord Dawn, choosing the most suitable place to start up her quest to right the wrongs of herself and the fight against discrimination by settling herself in the most resource-abundant location within her range of travel. What better place to start than the agricultural world of Dantooine?

It was well within safe territory to supplement herself before the war would ever come, and it had a plentiful source of food and water in the wild, where she could hide and find herself before she could step back into the urban life of the cities. The various farmlands throughout the planet would make a nice place to come right in and live for a while before she'd find her start in her lone mission.

She already landed her ship at a remote location, where even the authorities or the Republic forces stationed on the planet wouldn't be able to find it. In the meantime, she went out to find a town to live in, but her arrival was marred by the thick darkness of the night, forcing her to land down in the plains and start up a small fire to spend the night in.

Throughout her years training in the White Fang, she traveled to all sorts of terrains in Remnant and other neighbouring systems, living off of anything the elements of the wild could throw at her. Here, out in the wilderness of Dantooine, dangers still lurked. There were just as many species of carnivores as there were herbivores, providing an almost heated cycle of life across the planet.

Blake had just come across two hunters on the way to the next town, who warned her of a surge of predator activity wherever she was going. She couldn't care less about some hungry animals, knowing she could easily deal with them should she encounter them. Other than that, she was too unsettled to even bother about being on the same route.

When night came, Blake built up a small campfire to spend the night. It wasn't much; just make a clear circle to accommodate the site by cutting the wild grass and making some benches out of the nearby trees. The forest would also help her find firewood needed to make the campfire, making a spark with her Gambol Shroud. She didn't want to use her blaster that would startle any nearby wildlife before she could try and catch them the next day.

Once she hunted some animals, she would find the pelts and sell them to the nearby hunting lodges in the next town. She didn't find hunting for animals very satisfying, reminding her of the constant abuse and dilapidation of her species, being hunted on their own right. She used to hunt many creatures herself, but those kills were merely for the natural quest for survival. In a cruel ironic way, though, she supposed hunting for some credits might count for survival. She could also, however, resort to the less harmless method of stealing from unsuspecting citizens, maybe the more unlikeable ones, just as she did so long ago as a White Fang member.

Thus, she sat there on her log bench, holding out a stick with a piece of flesh from an animal she had just hunted, waiting for it to cook over the fire. It was no electronic cooker like the ones she was used to back at base, but it had to do. Life was never about simple luxuries; depending on machinery all your life would cloud your humanity; no matter how significant technology grew to be.

Quietly, in the calm cool breeze of the night, Blake sat by, bringing the meat to herself and taking a small nip. She chewed on the flesh, feeling a bit disgusted that it hadn't been fully cooked yet. So, again, the meat went over the fire for more cooking.

A small yawn escaped Blake's mouth. She did feel very drowsy after her less-than-stellar escape from Concord Dawn. Though, she could not afford to sleep just yet, waiting to finish her food before she could finally rest for the night. Her bag had some supplies, but those would be saved for later when odds from hunting did not favour her. Alas, she took another bite of the meat, now feeling the ripe taste.

Once she was done, it was about time to finally sleep, taking out an old sheet she found within the ship's supply depot, preparing to use it as a blanket. Dusty and punched with a few holes, the sheet was not perfect. Again, Blake only looked to that 'just right' material, feeling that the blanket was enough to last her the night. As a bed, she made a pile of hay that she found from an abandoned farmhouse nearby, bundling it together with some leftover rope and made into a mattress. After she dusted the blanket from the dust, fanning away the minor cloud while covering her nose, she laid the mattress down and prepared to get herself down to sleep the night away.

Blake then looked up, moving her hands up to untie the band she had on her head, tying her cat ears together. This was what Blake had to do for her quest to go on. She felt that, by exposing herself as a Faunus, people would immediately suspect her as a member of the White Fang. Since the attacks she once participated in took place within the Tingel Arm, meaning Mandalore Space and Remnant, it would be commonplace for news about them to become viral at this part of the galaxy. If she needed to know if she could trust people, she would need to mask her true self from society, and see whether they would be willing to accept her kind before she could reveal her features.

However, when it came to a night in the plains, her cat ears would work much better at hearing out for threats when they were free. In her sleep, Blake would be well prepared for the dark, quiet night, waking up at the right moment when trouble loomed from the grass.

…

…

 _ **BRUSHHH**_

Suddenly, just as she was about to free her ears, Blake heard a low, rustling sound coming from the shrubs. She didn't need her cat ears, for her human ones detected the sounds just as well. She took her blade from the log bench and watched out for her surroundings. She turned her head around the area for whatever made that sound. It could have been a rodent, or maybe a lizard. Worse, it could have been something much more dangerous… A predator… Anything could be lurking out there in the grass, waiting to pounce and hunt her down like a prey animal.

She scanned, turning her head around, on the prowl for the unwelcome visitor in her premises.

 _ **BRSSSHHH**_

There it was again. Her head changed directions right towards where the sound came from. Still nothing in sight, but she saw the grass at that area shake more stormily than everywhere else. Immediately, she had her sights on the motion of the grass shaking up from the left. Something was definitely there, and it was moving to find her weak point. She felt the intent deep within the vegetation, the intent on hunger.

The vibes of a predator were felt within the heart, a similar taste for blood she felt all too often in her old home in the White Fang. To counter a predator, she would need to play the defensive game. She steadied herself, waiting for the rustling of the grass to cease, which then she would face the direction of where her stalker would stop at.

Finally, the sounds stopped. Her head stopped as well and her blade moved to her side, about to deliver the maximum blow to her target. She waited, and waited. At any moment, whatever was following her was about to move away from its spot, whether it would be after her or run away from her. She prepared to react and face whatever potential threat might lie within there.

And then…

 _ **RAWRRR!**_

The creature leapt out, lunging itself onto Blake. She managed to step right out of the way before giving the animal a slice of her weapon. However, just as it was about to cut it down, the sword just clanged right out of something very hard, bouncing her back to a clumsy stumble.

Blake nearly tripped down, almost falling down to the ground. As she recovered, she saw, before her eyes, a large creature, creeping down on its four feet like a canine. It turned around to reveal its horrid face to Blake. The creature's head confirmed that it was, indeed, a wild hound. However, what terrified Blake was the terrifying horns sticking out of its sides, and the nose made out of bone, along with a thick bony bump on its forehead. It drooled with hunger and a desire for flesh, growling fiercely at Blake.

The young Faunus did not waver off from its appearance for long, challenging the creature to a fight to the death. The horned canine circled Blake, prowling for a weak spot in her defence. Blake sensed for the creature's aggression, waiting for the right time for it to pounce towards her. This was no sentient creature, at least as far as she was concerned. The creature might have been some ravenous carnivore, but a mindless killer, it was not. No animal should be considered dumb or unintelligent. They always have that skill or technique that could ensure that they get their kills.

Being a Faunus had its advantages. For one, Blake could feel the hound's aggression and predict when it would be the right time for it to strike, the same driven instinct animals tend to have that helped them react to other predators when hunted. It was a trait that was somehow passed down to the Faunus for generations. These keen senses helped allowed the Faunus to see heat signatures within the middle of the night, allowing many victories for Faunus soldiers throughout history.

With her night-vision, Blake saw the red, orange and yellow mess of colours surrounding all over the warm-blooded creature, over the complete screen of cold blue all over it. She then moved back slowly towards the blanket on the ground, while the kath hound eyed her, teeth still showing while it snarled.

Suddenly, she quickly grabbed hold of the sheet and quickly threw it over the fire, finally extinguishing the flame. With the fire out, all the heat she could see was that of the hound. This gave her a slight advantage, though it would also be just as capable of seeing her in the dark.

The standoff began with another stare-down between the Faunus and the animal. Blake didn't really want to kill an animal in its natural habitat, but this was a matter of survival. She had to fight it, no matter how painful it was. Maybe she could injure it enough to make it run off to hunt another day. However, if the creature was going to keep up the pressure, she would have to kill it.

The creature dusted its feet onto the dirt before pouncing right onto Blake, claws out to trap her down and jaws ready to tear right through her. Blake ducked right underneath the leaping creature, rolling forward right afterwards. As she stopped, she quickly reached for her blaster on top of her bag, aiming at the kath hound right after.

She was about to pull the trigger, but the hound was already jumping back to strike her with its claws. The swipe of its paw knocked Blake's blaster of her hand. She barely avoided being scratched by its sharp claws, only knocked by the palm of the paw. Without her blaster, the creature would have no problem doing it again with real pain. The only weapon she had was Gambol Shroud, her own sharp weapon to attack.

Blake decided to play the long game and let the hound continue to run at her. Every time it would strike, she would try and slice it with her sword. Again, the kath hound ran forward, catching Blake off guard by going for her legs instead.

Slightly panicking, Blake still attempted to counter back, slashing from the top and hitting the beast on the head. Unfortunately, the blade only scraped itself on the huge horn on the back of its head. Worse still, the canine's head bumped right at Blake's body after the failed attack, knocking her off balance and making her fall to the ground.

The blow to Blake's body left her slightly stunned, feeling the rough bruise on her stomach. It took Blake a while to recover from the hit, leaving much time for the hound to attack the vulnerable woman.

It charged forward again to sink its teeth into her again. Once it jumped on Blake, it tried to chomp at her head, saliva splattering down on her face. Blake held the jaws as firmly as she could to survive, putting all her strength to keep the animal's teeth from finishing her life. The massive jaws of the hound were very strong, almost threatening to let Blake's grip loose for it to kill her.

Eventually, Blake shifted her head to the side, letting go, so the creature's jaws slip passed her neck before she gave a quick jab to its eye. The hit to the eye forced the creature to jump away, freeing Blake from the deathly grip of its feet. Wiping the drool of her face, Blake quickly reached for her sword to attack the creature. Now, she was going on the offensive, studying how the creature would continue to attack, regardless if it was hurt or not. There was no stopping its feral hunger for flesh; it was going to keep on going until she was down for the count. It would seem the creature also learned from its attacks, finding new ways to take Blake out of her comfort zone and strike her down when she was left with no other chance to recover. It was a smart killer beast, much more than she thought.

Still, no backing down. She had run quite enough, not wanting to cower anymore. She had already risked everything to save the one force powerful enough to send a message to the galaxy, only for it crumble before the pressures of extremism and violence. It was her time to move forward and take action, starting with this wild beast.

Eventually, the two fighters charged at each other, bent on killing one another…

* * *

 _The next day_

Her eyes opened up again, panting heavily after the ruthless battle with the kath hound. Her consciousness regained at the moment, with her vision now letting her see the brightness of the morning sky. Her deadly battle with the beast had exhausted Blake so much, that she did eventually pass out from the scratches and bruises she took from the creature's weapons.

Out of it all, she survived. Now, fully awake, she carried the pelt of the hound within the blanket she intended to use for her sleep. Soaked with blood and reeked with decomposing flesh, the sheet was of little use to Blake now. So much for an undisturbed night of sleep…

Now, she had to carry the spoils of her hunt back to the nearest town to sell them off to any butcher or fur trader she could find. However, the injuries and the loss of energy from her battle with the beast had taken a toll on her strength to even walk. Eventually, she had to rest against a nearby tree, just a few more kilometres from the town.

She sweated profusely, sipping up the last bit of water in her canteen, before relaxing back under the shade of the plump blba tree. It wasn't much of a shade, with its shorter braches and smaller leaves doing not much of a favour to cool her off. Silently, she breathed in and out to catch some steam before she would walk again. For now, the bright sun heated her body up with the lack of shadowy shade.

Just then, she felt the heat wane off and the bright light dimmed by a looming figure, causing her to look at the object blocking off the sun. She opened her eyes to see a large horned mammal with two curved horns at the sides of its head, resembling more of a lizard. Straped around its head was a leather harness, along with a saddle tied around its stomach. The rider on the beast looked down upon Blake, who recognized the man as a Twi'lek male, with his left lekku hanging around his neck and the other hanging freely behind his back. He smiled as he saw the tired Blake, offering her a hand for her next destination.

"You okay, stranger? You look like you could use a hand." The Twi'lek male greeted her with a warm, welcome voice. Blake wondered if it was a good idea to allow help from a stranger, especially after all she'd been through to get away from the betrayal she had suffered from. She was hesitant to accept this man's help and wanted to insist on going her own way. However, knowing her odds of reaching the town without attracting any predators for the next few minutes, she decided to change her mind, slowly getting up to let the man help her.

* * *

Nichiku Town,

Dantooine,

The town of Nichiku was a small settlement; its buildings situated on two sides of a river with small wooden piers built over the water. Like most other farming settlements, there were crops grown outside some of the houses, where wheat was grown in small patches of cropped ground. Workers hoed down on these mounded lumps, or picked up much needed products to be sent to the store for produce or other means of marketing. All in a day's work for Dantooine farmers.

For this small community, however, it was one of many towns to feature a small business on selling meat and pelts from hunts across the planet. It was a moderate business, as Blake saw for herself, looking at the large amount of furs and pelts being sold at the fur trader's hut she sold her kath hound pelt in. She got a really good deal of money from the trader, who stated that kath hounds were notoriously difficult to hunt down, thus making their pelts somewhat valuable.

Though, as painful as it was to profit out of her kill, it was for the greater good of her standing against a spoilt galaxy. Besides, Dantooine has a strict policy of limiting the hunts of species, should they be identified as endangered. It's no wonder life was so lush in the wildnerness. However, one kath hound pelt was all Blake needed to get a modest start to her campaign.

Once she left the hut, she came across the same Twi'lek who gave her a ride to the town. He was stroking his bol beast, which was tied to a wooden post with a lead rope. When he saw Blake coming out of the hut, he came over to her and handed her a fresh drink of water from a nearby store.

"Here." He handed the bottle to her. "Have some of this." Blake, again, fell hesitant. She was able to get a nice ride on the man's beast, but her insides were still weak and needed some refreshments to replenish her energy. And let's face it, she thought, he was being nice; a courtesy she had not gotten for such a long time. With no other choice, she accepted the drink from him, gulping down the water. When she was done, she rubbed her mouth before closing the cap. She wanted to give it back to him, but the Twi'lek shook his head, allowing her to keep it.

"Thank you." she spoke. The Twi'lek chuckled as a response to her quiet voice.

"Ah, so she speaks at last." Blake blushed. It was true she hadn't spoken to the Twi'lek man at all, remaining reluctant to talk to him through the whole trip. Luckily, he didn't mind. He was just someone who wanted to help. But now that Blake let her voice out, he was willing to socialize a little more. "What are you doing out here, anyway?"

"I've…" Blake didn't know how to put it. She had been living through a fanatical cause this whole time, coming up with an answer of what she would do next. "I don't know…"

"Lost, huh?" Blake was kind of surprised from hearing the Twi'lek speak. She remembered that most Twi'lek spoke with something more of a Rylothian accent, but this man was actually speaking with the proper Basic accent, sounding more like the humans of Inner Core ancestry, even sounding quite like a free-spirited soul than the usual Twi'leki local accent.

"I'm just a simple person looking to find something to do in life." stated Blake; that much was true.

"You a hunter?" asked the Twi'lek, hinting at Blake's tough kill. "It's not every day you find a brave soul taking on a vicious kath hound like that."

"Not usually." answered Blake. "I was just trying to make some earnings." The man nodded, accepting the earnest cause.

"Good, good." Now, he was willing to introduce himself to the young lady. "My name's Cromia."

"Blake." she shuddered. Blake did her best not to reveal her last name, knowing that it might give the man an idea of who she really was. The White Fang was notoriously known throughout these parts of the Tingel Arm, so she would be wise not to mention her father's name out loud. Moreover, she continued to hide her cat ears, tying them up like a bow again. She wasn't very comfortable with wearing a hat or bandana over them, so she resorted to tying them up to keep them nice and straight. To the eyes of Twi'lek, however, it must had been a weird way to dress out here on Dantooine, but for Blake, she couldn't risk making a scene.

Fortunately, Cromia was not going to judge her fashion sense. She was not going to let her disguise bother her for now. It was the best she could do.

"Well, I suppose you're on your way." Cromia took his empty wheat sack up to his shoulder and proceeded to move to his bol beast. Blake was quite relieved to see him go, waiting to bid him farewell and thanks for the assistance through the town. It was a warm reception she took to heart, but again, she needed to maintain a low profile as much as she could. The less anyone knew, the better…

But then…

"Why not come with me back home?" Blake was stunned by the sudden kind gesture he was willing to offer. Alarmed and insistent, she quickly sounded off her refusal, not wanting to be of any disturbance. Though, the truth was; she didn't really want to bother about anyone at all. Not for now, at least.

"I-I do not wish to barge into your premises, sir!" she exclaimed.

"I insist!" said Cromia with equal insistence. "You look like you've beaten up by a gundark, let alone that kath hound. The least you can do is find a proper place to recover. Come on! You will love my family!" Decisions, decisions, Blake thought. No one had been this hospitable since… a long time ago. It would be nice to finally feel what it was like to be in a comfortable place to rest up before she would venture off.

On the other hand, she had the money she would need to book a bedroom in the local tavern. There wasn't really a need to be intrusive within the surroundings of an innocent man. More importantly, she needed the privacy to let her ears loose without tensions or the visuals of others. A nice room where she could rest without worry.

However, looking at how this man helped her through the day, it wouldn't hurt to try and mask her identity a little more. Out there, there will always be people willing to find you out and expose your identity of who you really are. If Blake could maintain her façade and enjoy being in the comfortable company of a man and his family, then maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea. Finally, she gave her answer, reluctant but determined to give it a try.

"I guess it won't hurt."

* * *

 _Night_

The long walk from Nichiku Town to Cromia's farmhouse out in the plains took until dusk to reach. The sun was about to fully set and give way for nightfall, just as the Twi'lek's bol beast brought him and Blake back to the lone assortment of metal structures collected into a single area. There was the main hut, made of metal, into a square base with a tiled roof on top. Behind the house, the crops were separated into two areas. One was the usual open wheat farms, provided with only constant water and sunlight, while the other was a greenhouse for the hydroponic crops to grow safely under a sheltered, sunny environment. A small blba tree grew just next to the greenhouse, possibly just in the middle of its lifespan as a growing tree. The premises were surrounded by thicket fences that did not look protective enough, but was something to remind trespassers or predators that there was a watchful eye out for unwelcome visitors.

Cromia dropped off his beast, followed by Blake. The Faunus then proceeded to lend Cromia some help, carrying his supplies for him as they walked towards the house. It was a nice, refreshing location to call home, with an ample source of farming and a cool breeze. She headed for the closed door, led by Cromia as he put down his vase of blue milk from the store.

"Here goes." Blake caught the man brushing his hands, shoulders raised slightly, like he was preparing for something to come out the door. She didn't know what could happen. She supposed that it could be the family pet, or the angry wife… or maybe…

"DADDY!" The door swung right open, suddenly as a little girl jumped out to tackle her father down to the ground, slightly startling Blake. The little Twi'lek girl was a little tyke, dressed in a simple yellow sundress, with her lekku freely hanging down the back of her head. The girl continued to tickle her father at the sides of his hip, causing him to tickle back. She giggled excitedly as the two engaged in a battle of tickling fingers at each other's thighs. Eventually, Cromia emerged victorious, lifting his daughter in the air before giving her a tight hug.

Blake couldn't help but smile at the touching scene between father and daughter. How they had fun with each other from the very moment they laid their eyes on each other. Alas, the sight of a passionate lovely moment between father and daughter was also a reminder of her painful past with her own family.

"Sorry about her. This is Amma; my daughter." chuckled Cromia as he put his daughter back down. The little girl eyed Blake with awe, gleaming at the weapons she had in her belt. Afterwards, she ran back to her daddy, just as excited.

"Daddy!" cheered Amma. "Is she staying with us for dinner?"

"Of course!" answered Cromia, giving the girl more reason to smile brighter. "She is free to join us." Amma soon started running inside, shouting to her mother inside of the newcomer. "Just come in. You'll love my wife."

"I'm not sure how I can repay you, but…" Blake hesitated, but Cromia, once again, insisted, stopping her with his palm out front.

"Please! No need to repay us. Just make yourself at home." Before long, the man tied the leash of his beast to a rack next to the door before he entered the house to join his family. Blake swallowed a bit, hoping that her true self would not be exposed to the family too soon. She checked her bow, making sure that it was tied properly before entering the house herself.

The inside of the house was just as you would expect of any small dwelling. The living room had the usual furniture; a couch simply made out of the fur of another beast, a glass metal table with a flower growing out of clay pot, and a flatscreen holovid projector just opposite the couch.

The kitchen was practically in the same room, separated only by the counter, where a lone human woman was preparing some plates for the meal they were about to have. Cromia was nowhere in sight, possibly in another room, but Blake was spotted by the woman in the kitchen, who gave her a sweet smile. Her hair was tied to a ponytail, auburn in colour, with a short-sleeved T-shirt. Around her neck was an orange bandana, lowered down to reveal her lips.

"Oh! You must be our guest." welcomed the lady. "Do call me Remara." Blake nodded, giving her a smile back. "Please make yourself at home. I shall prepare dinner in a bit." Remara showed Blake the couch, giving her permission to be seated down comfortably on it. As she did so, Blake took the time to feel the inner surroundings around her, taking in the comfort of a nicely conditioned house, cooled by the ceiling fan above her. The couch was really felt like a cloud, thanks to the fur of, from what she remembered, was from a bantha-like creature usually found in other planets like Jelucan or even the swamp moon of Ohma Dun around Naboo. For the first time since her desertion from the White Fang, she had never felt such a soothing sensation from sitting on a chair like this. Times were rough on her for these past few days, she barely had time to find a relaxing spot to cool it off, interrupted by attacks from her own brothers and the creatures down here on Dantooine.

As she relaxed a bit, Cromia approached from his room, coming over the kitchen to give Remara a gentle kiss on the cheek. Blake watched the romantic exchange with a tiny sense of glee. She had to admit; beneath her tough, deadly exterior, she had her own guilty pleasures to enjoy. Her illustrious time reading books involved those of the sappy, romantic kind, giving her the idea of what it was like to fall in love. How she dreamed of doing so with the person she…

She sighed, reminding herself that that blind sense of love that caused her downfall. At least, it was fun to watch two passionate lovers embrace in loving grace. The couple then spotted Blake watching them, somewhat intrigued by her own intrigue. She was quickly alarmed when she noticed their gaze for a second.

"S-sorry." she turned her head away, embarrassed. "I didn't mean to stare." The two adults just laughed it out with amusement to her curiosity. Just then, as Blake turned her head to the right, she was startled by the sudden appearance of Amma, staring right into her yellow eyes. She spent all her time away, trying to hide her Faunus identity that she forgot that it would have been impossible for a child to notice. Then again, she hadn't thought about what anyone would think if they saw her yellow eyes, as seeing a human with eyes of this shade of colour would be extremely rare.

Unless of course, she may had been a Faunus…

But again, Blake remembered that Cromia hadn't been too cautious of the strange eyes, passing her off as normal. She wondered if he knew that she was a Faunus, and that he didn't have any problem with her. She decided to keep hiding her identity, not willing to jump the gun so quickly until she knew, precisely for sure, that they would be open to having a Faunus in their house. If they ever asked, she could always say that it was from a genetic disorder or something.

"I'm sure you're a little confused." Fortunately, the couple did not delve into the issue of her appearances, and straight away opened up to her. "I know seeing a human inside of a Twi'lek's house is a bit of weird sight! Let alone with **this** Twi'lek…" Remara teasingly poked Cromia on the head, causing the other to playfully shove her the other way.

"N-no, ma'am." assured Blake. "I think it's great you're married together. I can tell how much you love each other." Then, Cromia bent to the ground, opening up his arms as Amma ran right into his embrace.

"And with a happy little girl, too." He looked at his little girl and flicked the cute button nose, causing her to giggle. "Isn't that right, Amma?!"

"Hehehehe!" she laughed at her father's little antic.

"Now, go and play with Brur'nek outside. Mummy and I will call you when dinner is done." The little daughter then released herself from her father's arms and walked off to her room, leaving the adults to continue their conversation. Blake saw this moment to try and socialize, knowing that she'd be stuck here for a little while until she would be ready to leave.

"Are you a farmer here, Remara?" asked Blake. She was already aware of what Cromia did for a living; pretty much hunting animals and helping out with the farming with his wife. However, just as Remara spoke, Cromia pitched in for her, rather interruptedly and much to her annoyance.

"Yes. Remara is a farmer. And a bloody good one too." The housewife gave Cromia an elbow to the side, making him stumble for cutting her off with little care. While the husband sheepishly rubbed where she hit him, she rightfully took over in the conversation.

"But we're not actually from Dantooine. We came from Ryloth." told Remara. Blake was honestly quite surprised to hear that a human like Remara came from a planet otherwise known as the home planet of the Twi'lek species. From first seeing Cromia and Amma, she would have expected a pure Twi'lek family, so she was kind of fascinated to know that a human had become part of it.

"We were one of the many thousands of citizens who received word of the Separatists' invasion of the system." And then, she grew distasteful after hearing that the droid armies started to take over the system, imagining the plight of the Twi'lek people at times of the war. She had seen the images from holovid recordings or news reports, as well as overhearing some conversations from her fellow White Fang members. All the same, like the Faunus, the Twi'leks were just as big of victims to many forms of derogatory and suffering, at the hands of filthy fools who enjoy nothing more than to profit out of their miseries. It was a disgusting story, only made worse thanks to the pointless war fought between the Republic and the Separatists.

"Soon after, Cromia's family helped us move out of the planet and we all went our separate ways." explained Remara, saddened by the events that forced the family to leave their quiet, peaceful life on Cromia's home planet. In contrast, the Twi'lek husband was more irritated than sad, definitely aggravated over leaving his extended family and fellow people behind to become victims of this horrid conflict.

"Yeah. The galaxy is going to war, and the one thing I had to do to avoid it all is run." groaned Cromia, walking to the other couch next to Blake's, sitting down and rubbing his head, possibly from a mixture of work fatigue and upsetting recollections of separation and sadness.

"But the Separatists are quite close at this part of the galaxy, as well." wondered Blake. "Are you sure living here is a good idea?"

"Perhaps for a little while." Remara said from behind the counter, taking out some cooked rodent meat from her cooker. "Just earn a bit more credits, sell crops to the Republic military and find our way closer to safer places to live in." Then, Cromia continued to become very agitated by the stories of his family's plight during their run from home.

"Heh. Selling our fresh products to the same people duking it out on our home. What a load of karabast." he said with cold mockery in his voice. Blake's cat ears fidgeted at the tone of his voice, whilst a normal expression of curiosity was noticed by the housewife in the room.

"Honey." she chastised at her husband. "Language." Cromia ignored his wife's demand for courtesy in the house, somewhat understandably frustrated still over the ignorance the Republic was pouring out. The sentiment against the government was shared with Blake, having her own distaste on political scuffles and violent large-scale wars.

"I'm… sure the Republic will do something." Blake hesitated to say it. After all, the Republic did not seem to help at all with what the Faunus went through. For centuries, they couldn't stop the hate and violence from destroying the species, causing her faith in the Republic to dwindle dramatically as she grew up. If they couldn't save the Faunus, then how could the Twi'leks or, in Remara's case, other citizens of the planet, fare any better? To be honest, not much, given how important the war, not the welfare of its people or protecting anyone else in trouble, was to the Republic.

"If you ask me, even the Republic doesn't give a damn about my planet." Cromia retorted, Blake guessing just as much. It would seem that Ryloth was nothing more than a strategic staging ground for the ridiculous war. "They're more concerned about beating those wretched droids." "They both deserve to have a rock right up their…"

"Daddy!" Suddenly, before he could utter the word he was going to say, his innocent little daughter showed up, just at the wrong time, again. Startled, almost spooked that he was going to say something vulgar in front of Amma, Cromia chuckled sheepishly, back to his flamboyant, fatherly nature.

"Y-yes, Amma?" Blake almost found the mood to giggle, even more so when she noticed Remara groaning at the kitchen. It was almost too good not to be amused by. As the family bonding lasted for a few minutes, Blake could smile again, seeing that even after all the strife and troubles they had endured, Cromia and his family were still as happy as they could be.

If only the galaxy was just as caring…

* * *

Soon, the family and their guest all sat down at the table, tending to the night's dinner. On the glass dining table, several local delicacies were made by Remara, with some other Rylothian tastes cooked up in the mix.

Again, Blake was brought back to a warm gathering of caring individuals, conversing about all sorts of general topics, like farm life and life on Dantooine in general. Even topics that would be complicated like the war, or about their planet of Ryloth, were talked about, with the innocent Amma too young to understand the tensions from them.

All the while, the ex-White Fang member was working through with her fork and knife, cutting through the well-done steak, made from the tender flesh of a thune creature, a local pachyderm often hunted for its thick flesh and tough skin. On the sides, diced bits of vegetables were cast aside, with Blake unable to eat them because of her tendency to enjoy meat over her greens.

For Cromia, hunting these large beasts was both a luxurious treat and a deadly game. The thrill of taking on a healthy thune, the tactics of separating his target animal from the rest of its herd without provoking the rest, and the adrenaline-pumping action of facing up its sheer size and massive bulk; Cromia couldn't stop bragging about his great hunting skills. Remara, on the other hand, didn't take kindly to her husband's desire for death-defying stunts, fearing for his life every time he went on such hunting trips.

Other than Cromia's usual stories, Remara peered over to her right to find Amma, finishing her food, except for some dark green leaves, left next to the bones.

"Finish your kibla greens, Amma." reminded Remara.

"But, mom! They're yucky!" Amma whined with a pout on her cheeks. Just then, her father leaned towards her, eager to convince her the fun way.

"If you don't eat your veggies, Mommy won't give you dessert." Amma's eyes widened in shock, instantly chowing down on those rather unpalatable greens. Meanwhile, Cromia gave his wife a knowing wink, causing Remara to grin in appreciation of her husband's tricks. In no time, driven by her lust for sweets, Amma had forced down her fill of vegetables, almost urging to spit them out. Nevertheless, she swallowed her fill and drank up her blue milk to nullify the disgusting taste in her mouth. With an audible smack of her lips, she was finally looking refreshed, back to her cheery self.

"I'm done!" she hurrahed herself for her fight to handle the icky taste.

"Okay, Amma." Remara finally got up, taking her plate to the sink and removing the leftover wastes on it before washing up the plate. "Now, why not go watch some holovid for a while? Mommy will get some ice-cream ready."

Amma excused herself from her table, right before she ran for the holovid and put it on, revealing the last program it was last set on. The young girl looked at the screen for a while, watching a bunch of adults talking in a podcast being broadcasted from Coruscant, conversing about their normal, average days in the big metropolitan city. She then flipped through the channels to watch a cartoon of two amateur superheroes called Z-Ray and Rav (so not a rip-off of another well-known galactic kids show, Moray and Faz…).

While the little girl was out of their space, the kitchen fell into complete silence, except for the action-packed noises of Amma's cartoon playing in the distance. Blake continued to chew on her dinner, eating a dinner that was practically, compared to her past feasts, a luxury. She could finally enjoy her food without the interruptions by feelings of fear or discomfort around her. Quietly munching on her fill, she took this time to savour what she had for now.

But not everything was perfectly settled. Cromia opened his mouth and gave Blake a daunting question that got her back in that zone of paranoia. His voice was filled with a chilling feel of venom and distressing suspicion.

"Nice sword you got there, Blake. Where'd you get it?" Blake nearly bit her tongue when Cromia noticed the blade she left leaning against the wall by the front door. She dug into her own mind, looking for an excuse to get her out of the trap.

"I stole it from some people." she basically lied, but the Twi'lek dad was not over with his questioning.

"Those people belonged to a radical group of Faunus, didn't it?" the Twi'lek asked. Blake couldn't help but feel her spine shiver with fright. She then gritted her teeth within at what she failed to hide from plain sight. The bloody red symbol of the White Fang, painted on the blade of Gambol Shroud. It was out like a sore thumb, just at the very top section of her hilt. The red sash tied around the hilt also didn't help to conceal its true origins.

"Y-yes." There was hiding this time; Blake had to let some truth out without exposing too much.

"I see." Cromia just backed himself away from his seat, taking his plate for his wife to clean up. As he went to the other sink to wash his hands, Blake could feel something rather cold about him. She turned to look at Remara, who was also feeling off; having a face of concern for her husband.

What Cromia said next was the eye-opening answer to his dark feelings, and it was something Blake dreaded to hear.

"Then you must be a really good hunter, Blake. It's a good thing those wretched Faunus were no match for you." Her eyes broadened with shock, feeling the hate flow through her veins at hearing Cromia curse at her own species. Her shock turned to inner anger at the spiteful message he brought to her. She tried her best to resist the urge to jump out and lash out after hearing a disparaging remark from him.

For one, she still had to hide who she really was from the family, for fear they would be just as merciless against her as did every other hateful being out there. There was a little girl in their presence, who was fortunately, unaware of the conversation as the cartoon show drowned out the voice of rage. She did not want to cause a scene that would traumatize an innocent girl to the cruel reality of hate.

More importantly, she knew, deep down inside, she couldn't fully lash out on Cromia for hating her kind. When Blake looked at him, she could almost feel the passion from his anger, with no vile or malicious intent in his heart. He was feeling just as she felt so many times before from many others before him…

He was afraid… Tragically afraid. And it was only just the beginning.

"The White Fang took my parents away from me many years ago." The horrifying tale began, sending more shivers down Blake's body. The cruelty of her former brethren came back to haunt her even more as more innocent lives were told to be lost at their hands. "We were living so peacefully back on Ryloth, until one of them started doing some operations there and ended up on our village." She could see it now; the thought of a White Fang minion crashing into the village of a peaceful family, and then threatening the lives of Cromia's loved ones. It was almost too much to take when Cromia, spitefully, finished his short, but gruesome tale. "He came barging in, took a knife and…" He swallowed, fists clenched with deep resentment. "…killed them."

Blake's heart nearly felt a sharp stab, almost fainting at the horrible incident being told to her by a saddened son. Parents lost to a murderer. But not just any murderer. Her own brethren.

Just when things couldn't get any worse; now she heard that the White Fang was already acting upon citizens far away in the Outer Rim as well. Apart from a few scouting missions or some prolonged hunts and assassination missions, the White Fang hadn't conducted major operations like sabotage or massacres; nothing loud and out in the open.

They seemed to be branching out to other parts of the galaxy, waiting for the right moment to attack, and among the victims of their mad tirade for power were two parents who didn't do anything wrong to deserve their deaths. Remara came over to land her hand on Cromia's back, comforting him as he shed a few tears. Blake didn't need to see those tears; she could already feel his pain from his silence. Shoving her own discomforts aside, she softly sighed.

"I'm so sorry to hear that." she said, though being sorry over his loss was actually half-hearted for Blake, hiding the fact that she was once with the White Fang, right during the time of the murder.

"Cromia has been hurt badly ever since the horrible incident." Remara took over. "So traumatized, in fact, that after the murder was done, he…" Then, she stopped, hesitant to move on. She hugged her husband again, hurt that she was almost about to add to the horror. "I'm sorry, honey."

"It's okay, dear." Cromia insisted softly, before strongly continuing for her. "I killed him myself. Took my dad's hunting rifle and shot him. Multiple times." Blake's heart sank even deeper with dismay and torment. More bloodshed. It was a cruel murder, made sour by even more killing. Killing out of animosity for something he did not understand…

The Twi'lek grabbed a kitchen knife, spinning it just as proficiently as he would with his hunting tools. Blake nearly shivered from the gesture of turmoil from his heart, as if he was going to attack her. Though not the case, it was still bone-chilling to witness a nice, humble man tremble into something of a raging beast, filled with tragedy and soulless murder when aggravated.

"If I ever see more of them again, I'll cut their throats…" Blake covered her mouth, hiding the gasp she couldn't force down. Remara took the sign as taking it too far, stopping Cromia before he could go on.

"Now, dear." she said in slight panic, brushing her husband with pressed fingers onto his shirt. "Let's not be rude in front of our guest." Cromia put down the knife gently, somewhat taken aback by his sudden anger. Breathing out his sorrow, he gave Remara a soft, warm smile, thankful for her love.

"You're right, dear." As she left, relieved of her husband's anger, she went to the table to help take Blake's, well, almost completed dinner, understanding her preference for the meat, and washed it in the sink. All the while, Cromia went to the living room to join his daughter in the fun of her favourite cartoon. From her fits of giggles, Blake was assured that the little girl did not hear a single thing about their otherwise complicated talk.

"Forgive my husband, Blake." sighed Remara. "The White Fang have been doing horrible things throughout this side of the Tingel Arm lately, so he's been on edge every time he sees them on the news."

As far as Blake remembered, she had only been aware of the attacks centred on Mandalore Space and the Remnant system. The fact that they could be up to no good on here, right where she thought it was safe to hide, it raised all alarms in her head.

She didn't want to imagine it, but it was clear that, behind the scenes, the White Fang was already moving out to secure grounds against the Republic, long before she even realized. She felt even more betrayed than before, disheartened that they had conspired behind her back and were probably on their way to conducting their mission.

For now, however, she had to play it safe, not showing extreme interest over the matter to avoid suspicion. All there was left to do was to feel refreshed, help the family out for some money, and when she had enough, she could leave without worrying too much about her true form.

When Remara walked out of sight, Blake could only slump her forehead down on her palm, stressed beyond relief, thinking if it was such a good idea to stay with a Twi'lek who was prone to hatred.

* * *

 _The next day_

Soon after her less than joyous dinner with the family, Blake was finally able to sleep on the couch in the living room. Not as big as a bed, it was still a grand sleep than the leather beds she used to sleep in back in the hideouts. The soft fur of the couch was almost like sleeping soundly on air, fluffy and comfortable to the next level, Blake was as quiet as a house tooka.

After all the hardships she had to endure in the past few days, she wished she could have stayed like this forever; if only nightmares weren't so merciless in ruining her sleep. Awakened by the fright of a bad dream, she woke up straight away, looking around to find herself back in the farmstead of Cromia's family.

The room wasn't lit much, with the only form of light coming from the kitchen. The outside sky was still very much pitch black, but there was a hint of dawn in the air, marked by a small pint of purple and orange in the horizon.

When she rose from her spot, she looked in the kitchen, instantly finding Remara, working through some gardening tools on the table. She already seemed to have showered, having a clean face and dressed in long, baggy pants and having a vest over an orange shirt, complete with a straw hat on top of her head.

"Good morning, Blake." she greeted Blake as soon as she put down a small trowel onto the table. She spotted the troubled eyes on Blake, wondering if she was still reeling from the dramatic events last night. "Is something the matter?"

"No, Remara." Blake shook her head. "Nothing's wrong." Other than the dream she had, she didn't feel anything else that troubled her, except maybe the memory of last night's dinner, still leaving a sour taste in her mouth. As such, she couldn't untie her cat ears, for fear she would be caught while sleeping.

"Good." The human housewife smiled brightly, getting back to finding an empty sack and putting it on top of a stack of more empty bags. Blake knew she was going to go out farming, but also took to notice the absence of Cromia and their little daughter.

"Where's Cromia and Amma?" Blake asked.

"Amma's sleeping like a log." said Remara, sweetly. "Cromia's gone to hunt and sell again, so we women are the only ones here." A grin was snuck on her face, which only made Blake smile as well. Then, she suggested something for Blake to do while she rested here in her home. "Say, once you're done with breakfast, why don't you help me out with the crops? With Cromia out hunting, I could use an extra hand." Curiosity snapped in Blake. Throughout her life, all she had ever done was hunting and fishing for food. Farming for greens was never on her priorities; any vegetables or fruits she would need were usually bought or stolen from the market or supply raids. Although, she could use some new experience in obtaining some vitamins of her own. A little bit of hard harmless work was probably all she needed to finally call for self-discovery, to find inner peace in civilian work.

"Sure." she nodded, gladly accepting the offer to help the housewife with her work.

The two women exited the house shortly after, once Blake had finished her own shower. She was feeling a lot lighter without her armour again, doing work without that heavy protection made work a little easier. With only her tank top and a fresh new pair of working pants from her supplies, she was already told to work through the tritacale plants, sprouted from the small dirt mounds and ready to be pulled out from the ground.

With only her bare hands and body bent down, Blake grabbed one of the plants by the leaves, dswhich were the only parts of the crop that were exposed above the dirt. She gave it a proper tug, expecting the plant to come off right from the ground. One pull of the leaves and she was almost astounded when the plant failed to budge. The vegetable just remained defensively stuck in there, stubborn with its grip and preventing itself from being pulled out by the equally strong warrior. Blake gave it another go, growing her impatience of its firm hold. After multiple pulls, still, the plant relented. Each pull of the leaves only shortened her temper, making her sweat even more. Finally, after one more powerful pull, she fell back, hearing a clear snap from the ground.

"Ergh!" Hearing Blake fall on her back, Remara shifted her head to the side, seeing the girl with her back on the ground and her legs up bent in the air like a dead rodent. Blake got back up, to find, in her hand, snapped leaves from the vegetable. Remara came to assist Blake "I must have pulled it too hard."

"Oh, yes. You did." She crouched down to face Blake, evidently knowing the problem. "You didn't soothe the plant with water." Remara then moved to the plant next to the one Blake pulled the leaves from, cupping her hands together as she scoped up a bit of water. Over the plant, she then bent her hands down, letting the water trickle down on the dirt and onto the plant. Blake watched closely as the dirt soaked up the water and immediately noticed some movement on the leaves. The vegetable seemed to have wriggled in response to the water, before it stopped moving after a few seconds. Once the plant was given its water, Remara then proceeded to gently tug the plant out. And with just one soft pull, the plant emerged out of its sprouting place, with the stalk and its beans completely intact. Blake didn't know how it was possible. She assumed it was how the dirt went soggy after the water was poured, that made the vegetable come out so easily. However, Remara told Blake the real answer.

"Tritacales are usually very tough plants." explained Remara. "I know Amma has a hard time chewing on these veggies." Blake listened in closely, getting to know how even a mere plant, immobile and seemingly inactive with its body, could put up a defence as powerful as that of a tree. Remara showed Blake the roots of the plant, and that was where she noticed that there were tiny little bulbs at the end of each root. When she took one of the bulbs to her fingers, she was surprised to feel that these small buds were actually rock strong, unable to be squeezed like most organic material. She then looked at the dirt where it came from, considering the composition of dirt and the size of each grain of dirt compared to the bulb.

Deducing the explanation, she realized that if the bulbs were stuck underneath all that dirt, then the plant would be strong enough to avoid being pulled out. The stalk of the plant was also quite durable, so pulling the plant out would only result in the leaves being plucked out, with the rest of the plant remaining in the soil.

"Do you get the picture now?" Remara asked, seeing how Blake was slowly putting the pieces of the puzzle together. Blake gave her a slow nod, now understanding how persistent a little plant could be against a stronger force. "Now, you try it." Blake then went over to the plant Blake failed to budge out, as Remara put down the plant she was able to pull. She gave her the bucket of water she could use, scooping up some in her hand before raising it above the vegetable.

At once, Blake dropped all of the water, almost like bombing it with the water in a big drop, as opposed to Remara's gentler trickling. The housewife patted the shoulder, exerting caution to Blake for an apparent error.

"Slowly, Blake." reminded Remara. "Too much force on the plant would still tell it to remain strong. That's why these plants can't grow in rainstorms. It needs a gentle dose of nutrition." Blake nodded, while also giving the plant credit for being persistent. As advised, the Faunus took another scoop of water and slowly let the water drip down like a drizzle. With a little bit of soothing water, the plant was like it was put in a trance, loosening or shutting off its defences and, once she grabbed onto it, allowed Blake to pull it out without fail. Most importantly, she did it all without exerting her usual force of strength.

Blake could feel the difference between her previous attempt and her current one, almost fascinated by how much one smaller method could weaken the greatest of defences.

"See? With a gentle drop of water, the plants can release their hold on the ground and be pulled out." said Remara, congratulating Blake for listening to her advice.

"I guess I'm not used to… gentler methods." admitted Blake. It was true that, throughout her whole life in the White Fang, Blake always to deadly tactics and swift kills that, while not as violent or explosive as those done by most of her other members, were destructive. While she felt like she had a heart settled for the gentle things in life, she was easily exposed to brute force when prompted to use her strength. This was one of the few cases of her putting aside her physical power to use tranquil methods to interact with other living beings.

"Really?" Remara was certainly curious, judging by Blake's own physical shape and rather mousy exterior. "You don't seem too rough." The ex-White Fang member had to admit, again; her whole life was often filled with fear and violence, that everything she had to do was practically done with the exertion of power in her body. That dependence on strength made her vulnerable to many dangerous things of many forms.

"I've… done many bad things out there." she told Remara. "I've hurt people, much more than you can imagine. I used force, even when I didn't want to." Assassinations, forced killings when caught, and even explosive firepower; she did them all, making her fall to a corrupted and lost soul. "As a hunter, it's always my job to take things on, head strong and without prejudice." She had to cover up her origins, using the lie of being a mere hunter to solidify her case. "And for that, there isn't much room for peace."

Remara nodded in understanding. Yes, Blake was a harmful warrior. The fact she could kill a kath hound, as her husband told her, with her sword told her just as much. However, instead of seeing Blake as the murderous killer she said she was, Remara decided to be the motherly figure, willing to assure Blake that she could still change.

"You just need a little time to settle, Blake." she assured. She took both of Blake's dirt-stained hands, closing them within her own as she lectured Blake on finding her grace. "I know these hands have done a lot of killing. But even the most blood-soaked of hands can be cleansed with a bit of pure water." She took more of the water from the bucket and poured it on Blake's hands, letting the dirt come off with the flow. As her hands were being cleaned, Blake felt the message behind Remara's advice. "Just relax. Think about what makes you calm. Find peace within yourself, no matter how rough things get."

She was right, Blake thought. Many times she used to kill, and they were all very painful; the pain only lessened by her blind sense of honourable mercy to bother about making peace with others. Grateful for Remara for reminding her of how to handle problems the easy way, she gave her a comfortable smile.

"Thank you, Remara." she thanked. Remara just grinned, glad that Blake was feeling a lot better. Picking up her bucket of water, the woman continued to work in the fields, followed by Blake.

"Now, let's keep up the good work." They both resumed their hard day's work, ensuring that Blake would learn to look at the simpler, more serene things in life. Her violent past had been put aside to embrace a new, fresh start.

* * *

 _Hours later_

After two hours of hard work and plentiful experience, Blake was finally able to get a proper rest. Finally, she got to do something worthwhile and returned to rest, full in her stomach and fresh from a shower. It was all in a day's work for a normal worker. With the crops picked up and stored, the family was ready to bring the goods to the nearby villages and settlements for selling.

Until then, Blake was sitting at the dining table, checking through her datapad of the local news. Thankfully, nothing major has happened on Dantooine yet; just some case of rabid huurtons running wild in a faraway settlement, and a pirate hideout being terminated by security forces. She tapped on the screen again to view the news on the war. Apparently, there was still a stalemate happening far away from the borders between the Republic and the Separatists, giving Blake some hope that, ironically, the Republic would fight back, so people like her can take over the humanitarian aid effort for them.

Overall, she was still satisfied by the lack of White Fang activity through the day. Still, her fears were swimming around, putting her body in distress for fear that her former comrades would jump out of nowhere to attack.

"HI!" Blake hissed in panic, almost jumping out of her chair. No. That was not the 'jumping out' she had in mind. Beside her, Amma looked brightly at her, hands behind her back like the sweet little child she was. In fact, the little girl was giggling at her shock.

"Sorry, Amma." apologized Blake, sighing. "What do you want?"

"Can you help me get my kalikori?" Amma asked nicely, with a word that Blake did not understand at all.

"Your, what?" she repeated. Amma pouted, pointing sharply at the living room.

"That!" Blake turned her head to look at the top of the cupboard in the room, noticing something on top that Amma had pointed at. Up there, she could see something like a small wooden trinket made up of small cuboids, shaped like a letter 'T' with smaller wooden blocks hanging down both arms by a piece of string each.

"Okay…" Blake walked over to look at the item she was asked to get. As she neared it, she reached out for it and grabbed it. With a closer look, the wooden object had colourful patterns and glyphs on all of the blocks. From what she could make out, these appeared to be of Rylothian or Twi'lekian origin; the way they were carved and painted so elegantly and organically.

She then handed the kalikori to the girl, who snatched it cheerfully in a squeal, hugging the object closely like a stuffed animal.

"Thank you!" Amma then ran to the couch to hold her precious trinket with her. Blake watched as the child jumped up to play with the object. Watching Amma, she saw her staring into the kalikori without doing anything with it. She just looked deeply at it, not playing around with the dangling blocks like the usual child's toy.

Blake wondered to herself; what kind of object was this, and why was it so precious? Luckily, she was going to get her answer real soon.

"Hmmm… She certainly loves that kalikori." Cromia came into the room, catching Blake by surprise again. As he joined by her side, they both watched Amma hold her precious kalikori, Blake still curious to the nature of this little wooden prop.

"What is a… kalikori, actually?" she asked. Cromia smiled with passionate warmth.

"It's a Twi'lek family heirloom kept for generations." As he explained, Blake mentally took notes from his lesson. "I have been keeping that ever since I got married." To show Blake more about this little heirloom, he called his daughter over to give her a closer look.

"Amma." The little girl responded and ran for her daddy, her hand attached to the kalikori. Cromia then bent down to meet her level as she listened in. "Can Daddy borrow the kalikori for a while?"

"Awwww… But why?" She moaned, turning her body around to shield the kalikori from him. The father just stroked the tiny lekku affectionately, promising to return it once he was done lecturing Blake of its importance.

"Just want to clean it, that's all. Daddy will give it back soon." Amma thought about it for a while. Only a few seconds later, her mood shifted again, back to her sweet bowl of sunshine.

"Okay!" Gladly lending the kalikori to her father, she then ran to the kitchen table, probably to grab a few snacks to pass the time, all while Cromia began to show Blake the story of how important the heirloom was. To start with, he began with the blocks hanging down from the two arms.

"See these pieces hanging from the strings?" He pointed his finger on each individual block and carried out the lesson. "Each piece represents a family member in my life." Slowly, the Twi'lek reached down from top to bottom, showing the many pieces of the kalikori to Blake, and telling her of what they all represented. "The first bits here are from my grandparents. And then these second pieces represent my parents."

"Down the line, when meeting new people to draw close to, I would add a newly carved piece to include those individuals to my family. Friends, heroes, and some other notable family members. Anyone I can always treasure."

After listening to the whole story, Blake finally understood why Amma, and the entire family, kept such a simple but priceless treasure. It was a symbol of love and family that was treasured by many Twi'leks like Cromia and Amma, forever kept tightly to remember the people they cared for. Memories to be kept when one passes away, including Cromia's own parents. Despite how cold their deaths were; they would always be remembered by the family who lived on to continue any legacy or happy life they were given. Intrigued, she took a closer look at the last two pieces of the heirloom, all the way at the bottom of the two strings, figuring out what they represented. The beautiful colouring and the elegance of the patterns showed an idea of who they could be for.

"So, these last pieces, I'm assuming they are for Remara and your daughter." she suggested.

"Correct." confirmed Cromia. "For a moment there, I thought you would have been confused."

"I'm a fast learner." said Blake, grinning. "I've learnt a lot about the Twi'lek race from my research, but…" Blake stopped, looking hurt all of a sudden. She knew exactly why she would miss reading about such an important tradition of the Twi'lek people.

It had to do with **family**. Something that tore Blake apart when even thinking about the topic. A tough subject that led to painful memories…

Thinking back, the day she ran away from them was probably the direst moment of her life. How she remembered the devastated looks on her mother's face, or the apparent ignorance her father showed, turning away from his own daughter after a heated argument. She couldn't forget, always cursed to feel the regret she had just sustained as of now.

That pain nullified with her time in the White Fang, thinking she would get used to the separation. However, as fate would have it, the first time she saw Cromia and his daughter have fun made that agony seep back in to hurt her heart.

She now wondered to herself, could there have been room for forgiveness? Couldn't she have just return home instead of Dantooine? Things could have been patched between them after so many years of isolation and divide. Perhaps, she could convince her father to continue the fight against discrimination the way they both really wanted.

No, there was no way they would ever let her back after all the drama she caused upon them. Following the White Fang into a radical future, at the moment when her own father warned her not to, it had tarnished her relationship with them and she would be seen as nothing more than a waste of space. A lost cause. A traitor who deserted the family for a cause that was already disintegrating at the seams.

"Are you okay, Blake?" Cromia called for her, snapping her out of her thoughts to see a curious man, looking at her sorrowed face. She simply shook her head, not willing to share her past with her family; another scar she was not going to expose.

"I'm fine, Cromia." she assured, falsely. "Thank you." Cromia bought it, given the notion that Blake was okay and went over to give the kalikori back to her. The little girl then ran into her room, happily taking her precious gift with her and shutting the door to enjoy the comfort of having her family symbol.

"Amma has been making her own kalikori ever since we got here. She's actually quite good at it." Cromia remarked. Blake smiled at the thought of how well she had been raised. Two parents loving their daughter to the fullest of their ability. It soon begged the question in her head to bug her again.

Where did it all go wrong? Blake and her family used to be just like that; warm, comfortable and safe. A fair childhood with a promising future. And then, the White Fang came. Ever since then, the bonds were shattered, the love was gone. She always used to think it was because of them that their family was broken to bits. And once she left, she was always faced with the answer that haunted her for many years.

The only reason her own family didn't go well…

It was because of her…

* * *

 _Evening_

Soon enough, after a good refreshing rest, Blake was back to doing some hard work, now more inspired to do work for Cromia and his family. Aboard the family beast of burden, she was helping the man with the supplies; some of which she helped Remara pick from her first day of farm work. Small baskets were tied to the beast's saddle on both sides, while a lead rope was tethered to the back of the saddle, allowing the bol beast to haul a hovering trolley filled with supply crates and barrels of different colours within its square frame. Some empty spaces within the trolley showed that the she and Cromia had gone through a delivery to one of the settlements within their range.

The two walked all the way from the last settlement, almost a kilometre away when estimated. Climbing over the grass hills, they soon arrived to their next destination to deliver their next batch of goods. The trip from home to the settlements went undisturbed and was calm without any predators to bother them on the way. Given the contents carried with the, Blake would have thought that there would be some stalkers within the grass. Probably, they could feel for her ferocity, as she had shown against the kath hound two nights ago, or it could be from the sheer size of Cromia's animal.

The two finally reached the town, where they shall sell off the meat and crops they had worked to get throughout the day. Over the hills, Blake could see the small huts throughout the settlement, with people going around, interacting with each other in their usual businesses.

"So, how much are our goods this time?" asked Blake, referring to the next batch of goods they'd be ready to give out and make money off. However, when she looked at Cromia, there was no firm face. When she saw his expression, it was riddled with worry, lips frowned upwards and brows slightly down, as if to express sympathy. He turned his head to her and gave her his amount of earnings from this one.

"No price." he said. "This one's on us." Cromia walked closer to the settlement and pointed out for Blake to see for herself. The Faunus girl felt that something was really deep about this particular settlement, enough for the Twi'lek to be serious about. So, she went over to see for herself. "Take a look at their dwellings. Can you tell me what you can make of them?"

Blake squinted her eyes to find out what could make this town different from the rest of their destinations. Slowly, she scanned at each hut, looking for the key details in their designs. All of them were built very differently, with each house having a unique way of construction. Either way, Blake noticed how they were all built out of simple scrap and junk. One house she spotted even had a broken engine as a pole for a flat sheet of scrap metal used as a makeshift roof for the front porch. Other huts were even built with leather walls and large sticks or bones, shabbily constructed and barely standing. From the people outside, she could see most of them looking very sorrowful and unhappy, sitting down in clumps gathering around fires on barrels and bundles of sticks. Many men even had grown facial hair and messy hair, not even shaved anywhere. Everyone had their hair messed up from unkempt hygiene, with clothes well out of their quality.

All of this told Blake that this was something different from any well-built town she would come across. This was a poor community, suffering from even poorer conditions.

"It's a shanty town." she finally deduced. From her side, Cromia shook his head, not from Blake being wrong. She was spot on; he was unpleased with the reality they were both now watching in unison. However, there was something more from the man's own pity for the poor people down there, almost if there was a bigger purpose for helping them, giving them the most basic of necessities when they seemed to not have.

"Yeah." At once, Blake and Cromia took the latter's beast with them, bringing the supplies along with them towards the town. When they both arrived, Cromia walked towards the trolley to begin unloading their goods.

"Come. Help me push these crates to the town. They're going to need them." Blake nodded at Cromia's command, grabbing the supplies from the trolley, one by one, before they pushed them all out altogether. Leaving the beast behind, they proceeded to keep pushing them towards the centre of the town, where they shall start with the distribution of the foods and supplements to the people in need.

During their trek into the shabby town, Blake looked around her, getting herself used to the reality of what the galaxy was going through while everyone was busy fighting each other. People were wandering around, almost about to fall from fatigue by their lack of a proper life. Their troubled faces were reminders of what Blake initially wanted to do in her life; to help Faunus people in the same situation. The fact that none of these men, women and children were Faunus like her; she couldn't care less. They were suffering just the same, and they needed help. She saw the suffering they had to endure and it told her that it wasn't just the Faunus that needed saving. Serving under the White Fang made her slightly blind by the scale of degradation of society in general.

Thus, it was time to begin her mission. However, the scope of her mission had grown to new heights. It wasn't just her kind that needed help, but everyone else suffering from the blindness of ruling governments as a whole. Humans, non-humans, Faunus alike were taking heat from the war, and Blake could finally do her part to help them survive.

"Do you where these people came from, Blake?" Cromia spoke. Blake knew again that she had to look around some more. Just as they reached the town centre, she looked around again. Ignoring the curious eyes on her, she began to notice something most of these settlers had that seemed to have given the bigger picture.

Each house had one or more crates that were white and red in colour; most of them open and empty. Blake took a closer look at one of the boxes, glancing at the cover to find the connection between all of the containers. She could see that, on the box, there was a mutual symbol on them. A Republic symbol, with the words 'Protection for the Needy' written in glorified Aurebesh on the government logo. In a moment of realization, Blake recognized that it was the symbol of a Republic organization, formed to rescue and supplement war-time refugees.

"They're refugees." answered Blake. Once again, Cromia sighed, confirming Blake's suspicions.

"Yes." Blake now understood the bigger picture, guessing just as much that something from the people in this poor shanty town had him very disturbed. Rubbing his forehead, Cromia felt that it was time, again, to show Blake why he was always struggling to understand what was going wrong with the galaxy. "This is what the war is doing to the people in the galaxy. When the guns start firing, innocents are caught within the firing line."

Humans, non-humans, Faunus alike were taking heat from the war, and the Republic was doing nothing to protect them. If they were so powerful in fighting an enemy, then surely they could have enough power in reserve to aid those in need.

"I despise the Republic sometimes. My people are about to suffer from Separatist occupation, and all they could think about is making a base to fight the enemy throughout the Outer Rim." Blake could feel Cromia's frustration in his voice, eager to voice out how angry he was at their inability to solve every single problem the people had. The suffering was going on in Ryloth, and it was starting to evolve to other parts of the galaxy. No one was trusted to jump in and help, not even the venerable knights of the Jedi Order, who were apparently more eager to fight than their reputation would argue against. "Cham Syndulla was right; the Republic is too fanciful to help with anything." He groaned, referring to the freedom fighters who helped him and his family, along with thousands of others, escape the Separatist invasion. There will always be heroes to become the true saviours, forced to deal with the humanitarian effort while the Republic went about sending destroyers and clones to raze worlds down and making the problems even worse.

His opinions, as it turned out, were shared by Blake…

"In war, no one is innocent." She too felt that nothing could be done as long as the government was fully devoting its resources to fighting a war, when some of it could be distributed to other parts of Republic space to help those who needed their help. That was why her father formed the White Fang, not only to help give Faunus kind a voice, but to also help people who couldn't help themselves, nor be helped by the Republic as well. And right now, as the organization trembled into extremism, Blake felt that this was her time to solve things the right way.

The greatest of heroes are those who care for others, no matter how dire things got.

"Which is why… **we** are here." Cromia stated, determined now as he carried down a crate of food, ready to begin giving out. Blake felt fully prepared to help, now that she had finally found something to do to help. "Take a crate, give out three full portions each and give them out to everyone." Obliging, Blake took a purple crate and a refrigeration box filled with all different kinds of goods plucked from the farm, hunted from the wilderness, or bought from the market.

As she pushed her crate, Blake took a peek at the surface of the crate's contents. Some of the goods she could pick out were some of the crops she had helped Remara collect, while others included other greens and fruits that were found elsewhere from markets throughout the land. One by one, Blake began distributing to the people their portions of foods, making sure everyone got their fair share of supplements.

The first family she approached, she passed out a meiloorun and two bundles of tritacales, which the Gran husband and expectant wife gladly accepted. In response, they bowed and thanked her in Huttese. The next stop, she gave two bristlemelons and a fresh gorg to a trio of male friends, two humans and an Aqualish, before moving on to give three fresh bilaberries, which they thanked her with jolly, bright enthusiasm.

From dwelling after dwelling, Blake gave out the goods to everyone she could find, all became grateful with what she and Cromia did for them. Aleudrupe berries here, some lettuce there, and some thune meat for another lucky family. Blake could remember all of the happy faces that she came across, all thanking her for her generous deeds. Every time she gave the foods to them, she felt even more encouraged to help them out, feeling the thrill of saving lives without the need to kill or harm.

"Thank you." After lending a fruit to a Rodian, she held her hand out to him, refusing some coins he was about to give her.

"Keep it." she said, letting him know that she didn't need to be paid. Her reward was the gift of charity, and it was probably greater than any gift she would get. This was an opportunity to finally come out and help the suffering go through with their lives. Perhaps, one day, she could do more to rescue lives elsewhere, promising herself to remain devoted to show the Republic what they should have been doing this whole time.

Finally, after the town was given their portions of food and water, the two good helpers left the town, being showered with thanks and cheers for the generous work. Blake even offered to pull the beast for Cromia while he collected up the empty crates. Bringing the calm beast towards him down the hill, she then released it to walk slowly with the trolley and moved to assist Cromia with the crates.

"So, what do you think?" asked Cromia.

"It feels… nice." said Blake. "It's such a shame people out there are suffering from these typical problems." She realized… **this** was what the galaxy, and the White Fang, should be doing to help those in need, not by fighting wars. There could be so many ways to restore peace and make the galaxy a greater place to call home.

"Do you think we can ever make a difference?" wondered Blake, curious if help like this could influence the galaxy to change.

"I dunno." admitted Cromia. "But maybe, we can give it a try. We have to, Blake. It's what we do. We are all beings of the bigger galaxy. If we look past the colours of our skin, or the species that we are, we can bind ourselves together and make this galaxy a better place."

Blake easily nodded, agreeing with Cromia's opinions in a better galaxy. Once she would leave and continue her mission, she would be sure to become a better person, willing to help not just the Faunus, but pretty much anyone she could find that needed her aid. She had to admit, though; it was going to be tough leaving this place. Cromia and his family seemed to be the good bunch of people to be happy with. However, she still bared the scars of a dark past; one that could make things worse for her in front of the peace-loving family.

"One day, we shall continue to help those in need, if only the galaxy could stop fighting each other…" she said to Cromia, earning an appreciative nod from him.

"You've got the makings of a true hero, Blake." praised Cromia.

"I'm not a hero, Cromia." reminded Blake. "I'm just someone who wants to help."

"Even if you're a hunter?" quirked the Twi'lek. Blake rolled her eyes, somewhat needing to come up with better ways to hide her true self without spoiling her true ideals.

"Maybe one day, you can help defeat those wretched White Fang scum from hurting people, once and for all." Then, Cromia had to drop the bomb on her, bringing up the White Fang again. "Those wretched Faunus have done so much to hurt me and many others." Of course, the mention of the White Fang was enough to shatter her optimism a little bit.

No. She could harbour no ill will at Cromia for hating the Faunus. Like him, and countless others, he was blind to what they truly were, shrouded by fear and hatred that came from a tragedy in their lives. Further attacks by her old organization did not help to calm the situation down at all.

All she had to do was keep it cool and find a way to teach him of the true meaning of being a Faunus, without giving away her own identity.

As long as her bow was tied, she would not reveal herself to Cromia. Through time, though, she might want to start her crusade to end the discrimination, all down for talking to people like Cromia to find out why they hated her kind. Then, once she found the answers, then the lecturing could begin.

In the meantime, she could do only much to help Cromia and his family gain profits and giving the needy their supplements before she could ever leave the planet. All she could hope was to hide a little longer before she was out of there.

* * *

 _Night_

By the time dusk fell and the night took over, Blake and the family were back in their house, after an evening of sending goods to towns and settlements throughout the district. Remara had done her farming and Amma was done playing around like any other kid. Once Cromia and Blake returned, the group had their dinner before Blake and Amma took to their beds, leaving Cromia and Remara to spend their time alone. They had the holovid on, watching a movie together in peace. They lovingly had their hands linked together as they enjoyed the spectacle of the drama movie.

Cromia honestly didn't like the movie, but he could do well to argue with his wife, who apparently loved the movie more than he ever would. Thus, they had to go through the movie with no interruptions, no one to bother them as they embraced each other for the night.

 _ **BANG BANG BANG!**_

Suddenly, they could hear loud knocking on the front door, alerting them in a panic. Worried over what could be wrong by the volume of the knocking, Cromia rose up from his seat while Remara stayed behind to watch from her couch. The Twi'lek waited for a few seconds by the door, wondering who could it be at this time. He turned around to look for his hunting rifle, in case things were about to heat up very badly. Finally, after some more knocking, Cromia began to open the doors, reaching his hand towards the side panel to let it slide to the left.

The people who were present outside gave him a sudden chill, realizing that he was now in big trouble. Two Nikto stood with their faces glaring menacingly at him. One of them held a pipe like it was a baton, threatening to bash someone if provoked. Immediately, Cromia recognized the two with huge reluctance.

"We've come for the money you owe us." announced the front Nikto with a wicked grin. Turning around to face his wife, he cringed at the thought of getting involved in the exchange between him and these debt collectors. He was also confused as to why they decided to come to their home at this time, not the usual monthly routine.

"Why are you two here?" whispered Cromia, hoping to not get Blake and Amma coming out of their rooms to be caught in the crossfire. "It's not even a week until then."

"Our rules, Cromia." snarled the Nikto again. Cromia was almost about to close the door in the guise of getting the money he owed them and instead, grabbing his hunting rifle to warn them to leave. But then, when he thought about it, if they were going to be shot dead, then their local gang boss would be aware of their absence and would come investigate, causing more chaos.

Thus, now that they were here, he might as well grab the money and lend it to them. So much for a hard day's work of savings. Anything to avoid trouble, it seemed, Cromia had no choice. Reluctantly, he dug through the money in his pocket and handed it to the greedy Nikto thugs. They counted the pay given, satisfied with the count.

"You got what you wanted." warned Cromia. "Now leave." However, instead of leaving the family be, the Nikto grinned at each other, raising an alarm in Cromia's system. Their smug faces suggested a terrible intention that was about to escalate to the worst of situations.

"On the contrary…" Suddenly, the Nikto with the pipe raised it in the air and, with one fell swoop, slammed it on Cromia's arm, toppling the Twi'lek down on the ground. Remara gasped with panic, seeing her husband collapse to the ground after hearing a loud thunk. "I think we should get something else."

"Honey!" The housewife ran towards her husband to help him, only to get smacked at by the other Nikto.

 _ **SMACK!**_

Remara fell to the ground beside her husband, leaving the two thugs to intrude into the house. As they went in, they began to look through the house, entering the living room and messing around with the furniture. The bigger Nikto flipped the table over, crashing the holovid in the process. The other Nikto went right in and swept through the plates and cups, just for the fun of it. During their trip into the house, they became vandals; striking through the rooms and breaking stuff down to fully make the family's day miserable. All the while, they looked around for something more worth their time than the money promised to them.

"Are you okay?" Cromia, still reeling from the nasty hit to the head, crawled towards his wife, holding her hand as he grew agitated over the chaos going on in the house. Watching these two men wreck into his house, his fears grew even worse when he thought about what this would cause for the one person he dreaded to get involved.

"Find her." The smaller Nikto ordered. The other thug then went deeper into the house, confirming the parents' fears of what was going to happen.

"What are you doing?!" screamed Remara. The Nikto then came over to kick Cromia again in the stomach before keeping the wife down with his foot on her stomach. With a cruel grin, he snarled at them with pleasure and satisfaction over their misery. Dark intent was riddled all over his face, which made Cromia very angry when he saw how he was grinning at Remara.

"Your daughter would help us make fine money. We'll sell her off to the slave market and make loads of good credits."

"You are not taking our daughter away!" yelled Cromia. "I will not give her the life of a slave!" The Nikto just chuckled heartlessly, not amused by the Twi'lek's love for his family.

"Tentacle-heads like you will always be meant for the slave trade." taunted the Nikto. "Now, give us your girl, or we will kill you, and your family…" Cromia gritted his teeth from the threat. But then, when the Nikto crouched down further towards Remara, he grasped her chin as she fell helpless against the malicious look on the thug's face. Anger boiled inside of the husband, willing to grab the Nikto by the throat, only to be hindered by his injuries.

"In fact, I don't think you deserve her." he muttered with a suggestive tone, dreaded further by the couple as Remara was unable to do anything. He then reached down for the collar on her shirt, willing to do the worst thing imaginable.

"No!" screamed Cromia. "Stay away from her!"

"Get away!" Then, Remara screamed, too, just as the Nikto was about go down on her and do the appalling act and do her good. And all he could do was wriggle in pain from a broken arm and a bruised shoulder; there wasnothing more he could do other than to watch as his wife was being violated by a thug.

 _ **CRASH!**_

Just then, the three heard a loud, crashing sound, like glass being shattered outside the house. Wondering if his accomplice was involved, the thug on Remara stopped what he was doing and ran outside to investigate, leaving the couple to struggle themselves back up to find out if their daughter was alright and hoping she wasn't being frightened by the whole ordeal.

The Nikto ran out the door to find his partner completely knocked out from the window of a room he seemed to have barged in. Looking at the window, he then saw a dark figure emerging from there, standing out with her sword out, pointing directly at the fallen brute.

"That blasted tentacle-head won't give us good money, but he's giving his home to this wretch?" As he laid his eyes on the lass, she had her bow tied, yellow eyes aiming daggers right at his pal with murder in her eyes. She then turned those eyes towards him and he felt the death in those orbs, staring at him like a predator in the night. The fear was driven down his body with agony and frozen stiffness. He shivered entirely as he reached for his dagger, kept in the holster of his belt. He snatched it out and aimed it at the face of the warrior, still shaking with fear.

"Let's take her." The other brute, recovering from his fall, got back up, shaken but still rearing to fight. The other Nikto put up a serious face to join his friend on the attack of this stranger from the house.

"Leave." warned Blake, Gambol Shroud now pointed to stab right through the intruders. They dared to enter the premises of an innocent family; they shall regret coming here to mess with her today.

"Fat chance, babe!" The larger Nikto charged forward to tackle Blake down. Watching this bumbling bloke coming for her, she let the thug run towards her and swung his pipe down on her. Blake then used both of her hands to catch the thug's arms, locking them in place. Soon after, the other Nikto sped his way with his knife ready to stab her, but he was stopped when she gave an easy kick, just as she was holding onto the other's arms in place. Looking back at the large one, she then lifted her legs up and flipped backwards, delivering a strong, swift kick to the chin in the air.

When she landed, the two thugs were both reeling from her attacks. With Gambol Shroud, she then went to attack the thug with the pipe, slicing her sword towards him. The thug tried to defend himself with his pipe, successfully preventing the blade from cutting him down. However, the blade dug right into the pipe, almost close to severing it in half while the thug blocked her attack. Still stuck, Blake then swung her sword away and threw the pipe away before she gave the thug another brutal kick to the head.

She turned around to see the other thug about to jump at her with his knife, still in his hand. The two blade-wielders then engaged in a series of clashes with their weapons. Step by step, the thug went on the offensive more so than Blake, striking first and more against her. On the contrary, Blake was letting him use his anger on her, slowly losing his energy and focus in his strikes, so she could swoop right in when he was vulnerable.

After a while, the crook eventually missed a beat, allowing Blake to grab his attacking arm, just in time, and tossed him behind her. The Nikto then tripped past her before he fell to the dirt, face first. Blake turned to see the men as they recovered to face her again, this time, resorting to a double-team effort.

As they both charged, Blake easily prepared to deal with them both at the same time, eager to end the scuffle at all costs. She waited for the two of them to run together, just close enough for her to do her finishing move. When they came just within range, she jumped up in the air, low on the ground but just high enough to get her legs on their head levels. Finally, with all her flexibility, the warrior then split her legs out to kick both of the sides of their heads, delivering powerful concussive force to their heads.

Immediately, after a brief fight, the two Niktos seemed to have been out of the picture, knocked out by the sheer power of Blake's strength. After her split kick, Blake then breathed in and out, relaxing a bit before she would deal with the gangsters to leave Cromia and his family alone in peace.

"Blake!" Suddenly, Blake heard a loud call from the front door, seeing the family couple, weak and battered while being supported by each other's arms. "Behind you!"

Blake swung her head around, too late to see that the thug with the knife had gotten back up and threw his dagger right at her head. The sharp weapon was just inches away from her, almost ready to pierce her skull to a gruesome end. At the very last minute, she quickly ducked underneath, just before the blade cut right through her hair in the middle. The knife then spun and spun towards the wall of the house and striking itself in place.

Having had enough, Blake took out her blaster and did the one thing she did not wish to do. To deliver the message to these gangsters, she was going to show them the proper way. Pulling the trigger, she shot one intentional shot… to the head.

The Nikto gasped just as the bolt speared into his forehead. The blast mark on his head smoked as he was killed instantly, falling down to the ground a dead husk. His partner saw the merciless act being committed, sending a sense of ultimate intimidation upon him. Seeing his partner killed so gruesomely in front of him, he could not stand up straight after seeing the fearsome might of Blake Belladonna.

The Faunus then stared right into the survivor's eyes, with the deadliest gaze she could ever give to anyone. It was all enough to make the big, tough Nikto agitated to the bone, not willing to even look at her. Eventually, when faced with overwhelming odds, the thug ran away, leaving behind his dead partner, to who knew where he'd come from.

Blake looked on as the thug fled the scene, reeling from the fact that she had mercilessly executed a man in front of an innocent family. Then again, they had threatened to endanger them, sell off their daughter and rape the wife. Who knew what could have happened if she didn't show them what would happen if they were allowed to continue their crimes?

She hoped the family would understand what she did, eager to make things up by helping them with the house. Indeed, when she turned around, she could see their bewildered faces looking at her. Of course, it was probably because of the sheer ferocity of her fighting style and the way she killed that thug. Or perhaps, it would be the fear of retribution by the thug should she leave. Either way, she was bent on helping them recover from this nightmare.

Blake continued to face the couple, who were still in terrible shock. Then, she saw that Cromia was backing away, somewhat directing his fright at her. She tried to assure the man that she had to do what was necessary, and that she would make sure they were fine afterwards. All of a sudden, Cromia's eyes then looked angry, staring menacingly at her with the same ferocity he once portrayed.

"I should have known…" the low, grumble from his voice stunned Blake. He was being very hateful, all of a sudden, maddened by something he saw in her. She couldn't have possibly shown him what she really was, could she? What could have caused him to start venting out in rage over her? She knew that if there was one thing that may have provoked him, it was the presence of a member of the White Fang, the very thing that took his parents away from him. But why was he mad at her now, when she was hiding her identity with a bow…?

She reached for her head, body suddenly numb from realizing that something wasn't right with her. When she reached for that 'bow', all she felt was the loose, furry flaps on her head.

Her bow was loose… Her ears were free… She was exposed as a Faunus…

"You're one of them, aren't you?" sneered Cromia, suddenly shifting to become merely hostile. Blake didn't know what to do. After all she did to help the family and prove herself to be the right person to save lives, she was now faced with hatred once again. She feared this day would come, too soon to prepare for any reconciliation or explanation.

"It's not what you think." uttered Blake, slightly distraught.

"Oh, I know what I think." interrupted Cromia, hate growing more. "You're one of those murderous scum! And you had the decency to deceive us and live off of us?!" The screams were as clear and heart-wrenching; Blake felt a powerful punch to her gut when she heard the roars coming out of his mouth.

"Cromia…" Remara tried to stop him from venting his anger before it would hurt anyone around him. Unfortunately, even the caring voice of his wife wouldn't stop him from unleashing his anger.

"ARGH!" At once, the Twi'lek charged at Blake, only to be stopped by Remara. Blake flinched at the outburst of pure agony in his heart. It was already inevitable that they'd find out who she was sooner. All there was left was betrayal, fear and anger at its most powerful.

"Honey! Please!" Remara continued to restrain her husband, tearing up from the tensions. Blake did nothing to stop him. There was no way to stop him from being this enraged for lying to him. She had been hiding her true self and she was feeling the full force of his pain and false hope. Deep down in her heart, she knew what he would think or say was true;

He had let a terrorist into his house, and she had the temerity to lie to him…

"Get out of here!" the last voices she heard from him were louder and far more painful to take in, the most angered of shouts she had ever faced since… her own father did… "GET OUT!" Before long, Cromia decided, enough was enough. Turning around in utter anger, he then slammed the door, leaving his wife outside with the woman who belonged to a group that killed his own parents.

Remara stood still for a few seconds, stunned herself over the rage that her husband threw at Blake. But even she couldn't believe Blake had simply let herself enter the family's premises without even speaking a single hint of the truth. From there, she had remembered that she once told Blake that even the most blood-soaked of hands could be cleansed with pure water. Even if that were to be true, she still lied to them, not as aggravating as it was for Cromia, but still just as hurtful.

Opening the door to comfort her husband, she turned around, not fully facing Blake. Just the side of her face was shown to Blake, suggesting that she was heavily affected by the revelation as well.

"I'm sorry, Blake." cried Remara, unable to speak clearly. Then, with firm authority, she demanded the only course of action Blake could take from here. If she was still committed to change, like the way she did to help them get rid of those thugs, then she would have to do elsewhere. For now, the family needed their time away from Blake. "But it would be best if you leave us."

With a heavy heart, Blake acknowledged the loss of trust and decided to turn away from them as well.

"I understand." she sighed. Then, she reminded Remara to do at least one more favour to make up for her lies. "Please burn whatever I have left in your room. It's… the least I can do to make amends." Her supplies, her utensils in the bag that she took from Concordia and Concord Dawn, all of it. She wanted them gone to give the family enough to recover from.

"Take care of yourself, Blake." That was all Remara wished to say, not even thanking Blake for rescuing the family from another tragedy.

"Thank you for your time." As painful as it was, she still had to face the full fury of one so hateful, so destroyed, that all she had to do now was leave them alone. She didn't turn to face Remara, continuing to hesitantly walk away, just as Remara shut the door and severing the bonds between two hopefuls.

Blake didn't want to go. She wanted to stay behind and apologize, but she knew very well that Cromia would have none of it. His anger was so strong that he would have no trouble killing her if she even tried. Thus, without looking back, she hurriedly walked off from the house. Then, she picked up the pace and ran, shedding tears for potentially putting the family in danger because of her lies. She would have made them a prime target for anyone willing to go after her, especially her old comrades.

Putting them at such risks, she became a coward, hiding behind innocent images of a peaceful life, to hide from the turmoil she was forced to run away from. She had become no better than the monsters she left behind.

She felt like she was cursed. Day after day, betrayal was all she ever had; whether it'd be meant for her, or those around her. Blake Belladonna had become nothing more than a foolish coward with only a sword to protect her. The only thing she could do help the family behind was to leave them be, never to see them again.

From here, she knew she had to trust no one, nor would she let others trust her. Her mission to save lives must, from now on, be done alone…

* * *

After a few minutes from her run from the family's house, Blake was now slowing down to a walk, seeing no need to run to think about what she had done and what she was going to do next. She started to wonder where she would go from here, how could she begin to help others without having to run away or lie herself into others' problems. Most of all, she began to think;

How would she ever find her true calling?

Whatever her next plan was, she had a lot to think about, to find the right way to tackle the galaxy and find her path to help a suffering society from the horrors of war.

"Blake!" Just then, in the middle of her trek towards her hidden ship, she heard a loud, feminine voice coming from behind her. When she stopped to turn around, she could hardly believe who followed her all the way here. Right there, she could see a lone bol beast, walking strongly on its four legs and heading towards her. On top of the beast, she could see a little girl, riding it with no trouble at all. Immediately, Blake grew very surprised by what she was seeing.

"Amma?" She ran to the little girl who, she thought, was back home, sleeping in bed. Then again, after what had happened, she wasn't surprised that it may have occurred that Amma had been terribly woken up by the fight outside and her father's angered cries to throw her out of his life.

Poor Amma. Blake didn't know if she was awake during the whole drama, but for a girl to witness it all; it must have been terrifying to see her father in rage, her mother defenceless to do anything, and a good friend running away after being chased out of the house.

But then, when Blake looked at Amma's face, she did not see the face of a girl traumatized or hurt by the recent events. Rather, she just seemed to be just as she always was; a happy little girl, who didn't see Blake as a threat. Though as comforting as it was to see her happy in her presence, Blake could not afford to let her go missing after what had happened.

"Please, go home. Your parents will worry." requested Blake, not wanting to carry on.

"No!" Amma stomped her foot, pouting to reject Blake's pleas. She then ran over to the beast and dug through a pocket on the saddle's side. After that, she then ran back to the confused Blake, taking her hand into hers with warmth and care. "I want to give you this."

Blake then felt something very small in her hand. She wrapped her fingers around the thing and separated from Amma's hands, bringing it to her face. When she opened them up to see what Amma could have wanted to give her, her eyes widened with surprise. On her hand, a small wooden block carved with black patterns that form something like the face of a feline.

That was when Blake fell more and more astonished. She didn't know if it was a coincidence or if Amma knew the whole time of who she was, but it was clear that what was given truly shocked her.

"It's a piece of your kalikori." Blake stared at the wooden block with confusion, but at the same time, there was a state of touching grace creeping up her heart. Cromia did tell her that Amma was great at carving her first kalikori, but she'd never guessed that she'd do a piece for her, let alone venture all this way to give it to her.

"Amma…" Sadly, Blake could not take it. She didn't even feel like she deserved it, and had to give it back to the girl. "I can't accept this."

"Yes, you will!" insisted Amma, pushing Blake's hands back to force the piece to her possession.

"But why?" asked Blake, dejectedly.

"Because you are family!" cheered Amma. Blake's eyes, again, opened up when she heard the words shot right at her like blaster fire. She didn't do much good with the family at the end, so why was she given a precious family piece to show how treasured she was to the daughter of two reluctant people? "You are a very special friend, so I must give you one."

"I…" She stared into the piece more, thinking hard if she really did deserve the piece of Amma's kalikori. She barely had time to be part of the family, let alone prove to be much of a family friend to them. She didn't feel that she had enough time to warrant her worth in their lives, and yet, all of a sudden, she has proven herself to be a precious person in this little girl's life.

The confusion was making Blake's ears twitch, which Amma took notice of with a fit of giggles.

"You're funny! Your cat ears always make me laugh!" If Blake could gasp, she would be screaming. Clearly, Amma did notice Blake's real self, after all. They **always** did make her laugh; that was enough to tell Blake that she definitely knew that she was a Faunus, let alone understanding what that meant. Not surprising that it would be because she would jump out in the middle of nowhere to spook the family and her. So, somewhere down the line, Amma could have seen her untying her bow when the moment called for it and she'd be there to see the ears for herself, all while Blake was completely unaware of her.

Finally, Blake could stop being so tensed, relaxing her mind to the mischievous little busybody who just couldn't leave anyone alone.

"You knew, huh?" Sneaky little girl she must have been. But like some mystical power or miraculous force of divine intervention, Blake couldn't help but feel like as if Amma was meant to be there, to remind Blake that not everyone would be afraid of her. That the piece of the kalikori she gave her was to constantly embed a symbol onto her.

Maybe, one day, she would find someone else who understood her for who she really was, to understand that she was willing to change and help people again. When that time would come, she would be sure that she'll be in the right place.

Realizing this, she could finally relax, finding that small, but heart-warming moment in this heated night. Thankful that Amma had not seen her as the terrorist who fled her nightmarish ordeals and rather, the loving hero who protected her the moment when she was threatened. It was like the fabled power of the Force had gifted her with the love of a child, and the symbol of a warrior through that kalikori piece.

"Thanks, Amma." Finally satisfied within this bittersweet turn of events, Blake accepted the piece from Amma, squeezing it tightly in her hand to accept the gift from this hopeful girl. Then, it was time to part ways from each other. Amma ran to her beast to make the trip back home.

"I must go home now." Blake was about to suggest leading her back home to avoid any encounters by predators and other equally murderous thugs. "Don't worry! Berkie will protect me." Amma then laughed back at her, stroking the snout of the beast as it snuggled her back. Smiling, Blake then turned around, heading for her ship at the far hills, where she hoped it wasn't discovered yet.

"Goodbye, Amma." wished Blake.

"Will you come back?" Amma asked, stopping Blake right in her tracks. She couldn't possibly give her a proper answer to whether she would directly return to the family, but if there was hope in saving people from sufferings across the galaxy, then maybe there was space for reconciliation. To make Amma feel better, Blake gave her an answer, not as definite or promising, but one to hope for the best from.

"Maybe." she simply said, before she finally took it to the road and headed off to parts unknown.

"Bye!" Amma waved her hand cheerfully, bidding Blake farewell. While the girl was far off away from her sights, Blake continued her way to her ship, to prepare for a new start to a grand mission to show the galaxy how to properly save lives without war or conflict. Remembering what she had learnt from her time here on Dantooine, she promised to do better in choosing her actions wisely to avoid chaos and fear from spoiling chances for a better society.

This was the beginning of a new warrior's journey…


	18. Beneath the Ice

**A/N~ I think after the extremely long chapter last time, I think I should lower my limits a little. I felt I may have overdone my writing abilities before, so here's a smaller chapter to kick off Weiss' role in the war, plus a little development into the Schnee Mining Corporation.**

 **Thanks to unseenw0lf for the favourite!**

 **Not much of feedback in the last chapter** **So, let's get some more people into the story, okay?! Hope you'll enjoy this story and I'll do my best to improve and excel!**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Beneath the Ice**

 **Perfection in po** **ise and grace is the way of the perfect Schnee.**

 _Governmental crisis!_

 _After the assassination attempt on the Senator of Solitas, Weiss Schnee, the ruling Council of the planet begins to move forward and formulate their plan to take action against their enemies._

 _With the Clone War raging on, civil unrest and the threat of the unknown endangers peace and order to the technologically advanced world._

* * *

Golden Ministry Council of High Representatives,

Atlas,

Solitas,

Jacques Schnee tapped his foot to a slow rhythm. No elevator music or any other arrangement of notes. Just a simple pattern of foot taps that was always his own unique tone; done out of habit, but memorized like a memo.

He was tapping impatiently, out of his usual courtesy. Within an elevator heading upwards, he had been tapping his foot for a solid few seconds, and even before he got on the lift, he was already tapping. In his mind, a matter that he needed to resolve was going around his head like a storm of problems constantly giving him a migraine.

Just a while ago, he was dealing with the biggest pile of problems he has had within one week. As Director of the Schnee Mining Corporation, he was entitled to most of the responsibilities the company had to perform galaxy-wide, giving himself absolute control over its earnings. However, that amount of power also made him accountable for managing them, as well. And now, with the assassination attempt on his daughter, the Senator herself, and the growing attacks on his supplies throughout Remnant's border with Mandalore Space, by terrorists who had been a thorn on his side for almost decades.

The elevator soon stopped at its destination, opening up the doors to reveal a large, white-walled room, complete with several plants placed at both sides. At the very centre, a conference table, almost taking up a third of the room, was being seated at by several well-dressed men and women. Their coats were all coloured with white across the surface of their cotton-wool fabric, and another layer of blue underneath the coats. Gloves were worn by all of the attendees, coupled with bits of jewellery by some of them worn around their wrists or necks.

Jacques Schnee himself was dressed in the same way; white coat over his elegant clothes and a light blue necktie to top it all off. The only features in his attire that separated him from the others was the golden pauldrons worn on both shoulders and a long white cape draping down his back, addressing his superiority over everyone in his company. A proud, old man who sought to make the Mining Corporation the best there ever was.

With all his glory and power, one would think; he had actual power within the Council and, thus, the government as well. Technically, he was only but an advisor to these men and women, trusted to lead the planet of Solitas in their rise to fortunes galore across the galaxy. That was why Jacques had his trump card; the universal, lustful desire for riches. Once he knew how to exploit the galaxy's needs, especially those from his own system of Remnant, everything played right into his hands. Now, with his overwhelming influence, he was able to spread his influence upon the Council, allowing him be granted a seat, plus political power over the planet's economy and, eventually, the government in general.

He was given so much power, that he was practically the very leader of the world. Probably, he thought it was for the best. With his own daughter placed within the Senate, Solitas has become the richest power in Remnant because of the Schnee Mining Corporation, and it shall continue to do so.

But right now, crisis had hit, from the very moment Weiss was nearly killed. Troubles only escalated when raids intensified amidst her appointment within the Senate. As Jacques approached the table, he was greeted by the rest of the Council, giving him a respectful bow to welcome him to the room.

He scanned the room to look at everyone's faces. Immediately, signs of distress and paranoia were already evident in each and every one of the council members' faces. Their wayward looks upon each other didn't seem to help hide their concerns, too. Still, Jacques couldn't really lie, either. He was just as pressed into the matter as everyone else; that much he could tell. With his tie tightened up to prepare himself for another emergency meeting, he sat himself down, signalling the rest to be seated as well. Everyone's hands were all in different places; most were on the table and tied together; others were rested on the stomachs, while Jacques had his arms crossed, serious over the issues needed to be discussed. Datapads were prepared in front of all of the members; each also given a different drink poured into slim drinking glasses.

"The threat of these terrorists are growing every day." announced Fredrok, the High Minister of Foreign Affairs, with a sour taste in his mouth. "First, they attacked at least seven cargo ships en route from our facilities in the colonies to Solitas, through Mandalore Space. And then, they proceed to assassinate one of our envoys to the planet Irma Randa and kill an entire platoon of guards in the process." A brash sense of anger fuelled the man to bash his fist onto the table, nearly spilling his drink in a glass. "All of this in one whole week!"

"These animals have gone too far!" added the Home Affairs Minister, the Abednedo official Oran Kalmar, just as livid.

"Aye." spoke up Miels Remein, the War Minister and probably the most vocal of the group, though with more reason for calm than anger. "For far too long, the Republic has been too passive over these attacks, thinking it's **our** problem. If this keeps up, even the Republic will be at threat itself."

"Action must be taken." said Minister Kalmar again. "We are already in the midst of a war with ungrateful systems from the Outer Rim, and now, these scum decided to attack us with greater ferocity."

"Over twenty years at the peak of our power, and they still decide to spread violence and threaten lives like it's their playground!" the Minister of Trade yelled out.

Soon, Jacques's hearing was bombarded by endless rants from one end of the table to the other, slowly waiting for them to finish up what they needed to say. He just let them take their course as he listened to every one of them to build up on his own judgement. Good thing he shared their dissatisfaction, too, because they were all former members of the Mining Corporation. Men and women who were once under his wing; now given full control over respective fields of government in Solitas.

However, he also noticed that one of the ministers at the other end of the table, the Defence Minister of the Council, was being very idly quiet throughout the entire discussion. She was waiting by herself, letting her fellow ministers sharing angry yells with each other, while examining her datapad, seemingly disturbed by the loud series of chattering and shouting. He wondered why she was looking ignorant to the current crisis at hand, not once joining the rest of the group.

Finally, when it was time to speak, he held up his hand to silence the angered crowd. Giving the Director the moment to let his opinions out, they all turned their heads to listen to their leading figure as he clasped his hands together. His face, gruff yet composed, lowered down as his moustached mouth prepared to open.

"My daughter was nearly killed because of that… That… Mandalorian." he groaned, pointing his finger at the very neighbouring world that he assumed was the source of these attacks and the attempt on his daughter's life. "We must discuss a course of action to pay those barbarians back!"

"Indeed." agreed Minister Kalmar. "For far too long, the Republic has been ignoring Mandalore, focusing on other measly matters."

"And who knows? There could also be that wretched Faunus group, doing the dirty work for them. I wouldn't be surprised if they dissolved to join the insolent Mandalorian cause." The Schnee grabbed his datapad, ready to deliver a presentation of his reports to be shown via holo-projection from the central circular projector built into the table that would shoot out its screens from the orb inside the metal device.

With his whole staff of members shifting their attention towards the upcoming projection, Jacques prepared to make his stand to deliver what needed to be done with the supposed threat of Mandalore, posing danger throughout the Remnant system; a sense of justice not well shared by the rest of the Republic.

Since the end of the Mandalorian Wars, so many centuries ago, no one could ever forget the brutality and endless suffering the Mandalorians inflicted upon the people of Remnant. As the leaders of a more powerful and thriving planet, the Council of Solitas felt that it was their sole responsibility to mark the capital of their once hated enemy as a definite threat. No matter what they tried to do, however, to spread the awareness of the possible dangers of the Mandalorians, not many planets of the Republic seemed to bother anymore. Instead, they were choosing to settle their own troubles, simply naming them a 'troubled and paranoid' government that, despite their ability to advance through technology and power for the future, preferred to stick to the memories of the past rather than move on to accept Mandalore as a now peaceful world instead of the brutal centre of crusaders or warriors, bent on domination.

If anything, in Jacques's opinion, Solitas was not cowering about the past; they were simply doing their part to prepare the system for any open invasion from an enemy, he believed, was plotting to make its move. As they went ahead to try and kill Weiss, he felt this was the beginning of their master plan, whatever it would have been.

"Members of the Council." Before Jacques could push the button on his datapad, a lone voice stopped him. It was from the Defence Minister herself. As always, her face maintained that calm, neutral look, as if not wanting to barge in and join in the racket of noises polluting the room. She looked to be more interested in something that Jacques wouldn't like to hear, as it was always the case in these meetings. "Perhaps we're being a bit unfair with our judgement." Her voice, somewhat troubled and uncomfortable with how things were being discussed.

"What are you saying, Minister Krath?!" exclaimed Jacques, angered by the lack of caution the Defence Minister, of all people, had. "My daughter was attacked by those bloody assassins! As they did the same thing, and **killed** , workers and members of my family over and over again! Are you suggesting that the only reasonable thing to do is stop?!" She then gave him a stare that would probably put the men and women under her command tremble in fear, enough to shut Jacques Schnee up.

"I know there have been an awful amount of armour-wearing assassins lurking around lately, but are we even sure if they're really the work of Mandalore? At least, the Mandalore we are forced to accept as a peace-loving world." Krath made her point, careful with the actions of the government towards foreign affairs. With a bit of hesitance to accept the terms herself, she knew well not to cause aggression that might crumble Solitas' high place within the Republic. The last thing the planet, or the Council for the matter, needed was a whole galactic government shoving down hostile actions down their throats. Though also sceptical of Mandalore, she was also fair enough to take General Ironwood's advice to not jump to inconceivable conclusions so soon.

"As far as I know, nearly all of the reported raids conducted on your cargo ships, Director Schnee, are confirmed to feature logos and symbols of the White Fang, not from any other Mandalorian-affiliated group" reasoned Krath again. "So, rather than blaming Mandalore, perhaps we should take it slowly and be aware of those low-life Faunus first?"

Jacques shook his head disappointingly. Of all the people in the room who had to put a stake at his plans or ideas, it was always the Defence Minister. He didn't know what he was going to do with Armatus Krath. He was only doing what he had to do maintain order and caution to the Remnant system, and yet, she was acting like some staunch opponent to his ideals.

Then again, she was not without her merits. Jacques admitted; there were many times where his actions were continuously stamped as brash acts of carelessness. If there was one person who could help him prevent another disaster for the Council, Krath was always the first person to speak out and stop them in their tracks.

In times of war, it'd be best to maintain relations with Republic worlds, give them the technology and funds they needed, and spread more influence throughout the whole galaxy. A hostile crisis may not have been such a grand idea at this time around…

The entire board fell into a state of agreeable silence, conceding their suggestions for action against Mandalore. Not the sign Jacques wanted, but still a sign he had to respect. Despite his own power, he was going to force himself to let the Council decide by majority.

"You raise a good point, Minister." addressed Kalmar. "Jacques?" The Director himself didn't seem very easy to accept the suggestions, indeed. Stroking his chin, he had almost no choice. Either keep his entrepreneurship intact, or let the Senate continue to attack the corporation for their apparent blindness; there was no other way.

"Very well." Finally, Jacques laid down his arms. He then pointed his finger at everyone in the room, with a face of warning. "But mark my word. If the White Fang are getting weapons to kill my men, then they must have a supplier somewhere." The Mandalorian-styled armour, weapons directly manufactured by the Mandalorians themselves, the reports of the attackers chanting out Mandalorian cries of battle. It all made too many possible connections to be called a coincidence.

No matter what they said, one thing was for certain; someone was out to get him and his daughter, and they would go to extreme lengths to eliminate him and his power. In time, he would have to find some way to get to the bottom of his daughter's assassins, or his power would be at threat.

"We will continue to monitor Mandalore and all nearby systems, just to be sure." planned the Defence Minister. "The White Fang is still a sure threat to us all, but until we can find concrete evidence to support their crimes, Mandalore's neutrality must be respected for the Senate's sake." The bitterness in his mouth soared, unable to fully mouth out what was suggested by the Council.

* * *

Director's Office,

Golden Ministry Council of High Representatives,

Atlas,

Solitas,

How Jacques enjoyed the pleasant taste of Alderaanian ale…

Such a unique taste of brewing compared to most other drinks out there. Sweet and very refreshing, the maroon-coloured drink was synonymous with the ideals of its planet, Alderaan's people. Many hosts, like Jacques, recommended Alderaanian ale to be prepared for feasts, celebrations and more, just in case there were about to be scuffles, and only serving them when things got heated. The ale would then be drunken down, putting the people who consumed the liquid into an aromatic sense of calm and peace, eliminating all feelings of hostility between them and others.

Jacques didn't know what it was that made the wine so calming. Forgetting the alcohol, maybe it was the sweet, soothing taste of the berries or grains used to make the drink; so powerful in its ability to calm the wild beasts of the planet that it would almost seem to be the key ingredient to stopping fights between morbid drinkers. Or perhaps, it was the alcohol. But Jacques knew the ale still delivered a more harmless, calm, and refreshing effect to anyone who drank it anyway. It was probably that unique power of the alcohol from the fermented berries that made the ale different from other alcoholic beverages, which most would deliver the definitive state of drunk madness, bringing out the wilderness and uncouth nature of the typical drunkard.

From out the window behind him, the usual air traffic criss-crossed in sky lanes, passing through the towering skyscrapers that filled the city, transforming the capital city of Atlas into Remnant's own Coruscant. His own building, the home tower of the Golden Ministry Council of High Representatives, was among the tallest of the tallest, giving the man the full view of the metropolis, built over a rock plateau that towered over the icy and snowy wastelands of Solitas.

This ale was all he needed to reduce the stresses he took from today. After delivering his reports and ideas to the Council, he was at least glad things were done. However, the one crucial objective he failed to fully resolve was the safety of his daughter, Weiss Schnee.

For now, the full protection of the pampered heiress of the Schnee Mining Corporation was in the hands of some of his elite guard; handpicked by officers, with loyalty and bravery in mind. Weiss would be given escort for almost all her life, ensuring she would be allowed to rise in power and go unthreatened by any opponents or outside forces that could spell disaster to his own influence.

With Weiss under the guard of her own protectors, Jacques continued to pressure the hunt for anyone who dared to hurt him and his chances for ultimate achievements in prosperity and fame. Private investigations didn't seem to fruit any results, at all. The best he could measure up was the confirmation that the White Fang, a group of animalistic terrorists, were indeed responsible for the numerous attacks against his shipments, his expeditionary forces and colonial possessions.

All because of the Council's inability to take big risks to secure their territories, he was forced to focus on the more important matters of the war, when the White Fang was already well within their borders. He had plans to engage and take out the organization in one fell swoop; he just needed the resources and the support of the Council to be approved of this task of eliminating the threat, once and for all.

For now, he was restricted to his office, sipping in more of his ale before placing the glass down to stare into the bright Solitas sky, as he shifted his attention to the war with the Separatists.

After reading through the breakthroughs of the Republic war effort, he studied what was to become of the fighting men and women of the Remnant armies against the growing threat of the Separatists. From the files he read, he grew very surprised at the prospect that the Republic had commissioned the creation of an army from the wildest reaches of the Outer Rim. Not just any army, but an army of clones. The idea of these genetically born beings, bred to be trained and deployed to fight a larger mechanical army, came from out of the blue, catching the Council and the Schnee by absolute surprise. Personally, Jacques would have thought that Remnant would be trusted to become part of the Republic's Grand Army to combat the traitorous Separatists.

How glorious would it have been to have an army of well-trained and well-armed soldiers to fight for the glory of the system? Vale, Vacuo and Anima would be providing the full manpower to the Republic, while Atlas could flush out whatever technology they could use to fight the droid army. On that same day when war was declared, Jacques could have had his chance, sending his daughter to finally embrace the life of a Senator and announce Solitas' full devotion for the war effort.

Hopes were quickly dashed, unfortunately, when the Supreme Chancellor himself introduced the mass armies of clones from some unknown world in the Outer Rim. Jacques could remember the feeling of missed opportunity, angering him for losing the chance to prove himself to be the perfect man for the galaxy.

Now, things were going just as normal, with increased demands for new war machines to fuel the given amount of Remnant troops. After all, there was still some compensation for a squandered dream. Deals were to be made, as usual, with several other corporations and manufacturers to build new Atlas machines for the upcoming battles ahead. Just another day of work for the Schnee Mining Corporation; the galaxy's most profitable force, only beaten occasionally by the Intergalactic Banking Clan.

All there was left to do was to have the Chancellor himself approve the launch of his newest project for the Republic army. And maybe continue that little deal about the tibanna gas trade with the planet Taloraan. Or perhaps, check on his old friend at the Republic Engineering Corps on how his new secret project was coming along…

Just then, the doors to his office whooshed right open. Jacques turned his chair around to tend to the guest who came into his premises. From the two large sliding doors, in came his second daughter; his newest addition of pride and glory.

Weiss Schnee came into the room in her casual outfit. When not wearing her Senatorial dress, she would usually get into her short blue royal dress and frilled short skirt, underneath a white leather coat with a pocket on the right breast section, along with long, arm-length sleeves with bell-shaped ends. She had just finished a performance at a concert, serenading the masses with her beautiful voice and grand appeal. Unfortunately, she thought she would have made the perfect performance, if it weren't for an unfortunate blemish...

She came to the front of her father's desk, with her arms proudly tied behind her back as she strode towards him. Once she stopped, she was already meeting with the expectant face of Jacques, eager to hear what she had to say to him.

"Father." Weiss bowed as she greeted her father a good morning. If only it was a good morning for Jacques, though… "I would like to inform you that my upcoming session with the Senate is underway." The seventeen-year-old Senator stood firmly as she could, hoping to make the head member of the family happy with her dutiful attitude.

Then, Jacques squinted his eyes, seemingly noticing Weiss turning her eyes downwards towards the lower half of the scar on her left eye. When she caught him staring at her, she panicked, doing her best not to look weakly worried in front of him.

"Concerned over your injury, my dear?" he asked.

"N-no, father!" Weiss stammered, maintaining most of her composure. She saw how pointless it was to hide her hurt façade any longer. The wound she sustained from the night of her first day as Senator of Solitas ended on a very gruesome note, leaving her with a bloody gash across her eye from the slash of a Mandalorian assassin. Ever since she was healed, she did not dare to even look at her father with the wound, even behind a patch.

At least she fought bravely. Otherwise, she would have been killed. Still, her humiliation stopped her from looking at Jacques in the face. Her attempt to hide her worries failed as he eyed her in the face with suspicion.

"Very well." dismissed Jacques. From his own eyes, he could see how troubled Weiss was from her injury. There was no time to mope over a simple blemish or scar. There were much better things to worry about. Perhaps Weiss could learn to be more careful with her life from now on. The political world was always full of dire obstacles and dangerous beings, out to get you in a galaxy full of low-lives and ungrateful crooks. "Just be sure that the people know that the scars you bare now were from the barbarian who dared to kill you." Weiss only nodded, still ashamed to let her scar be seen.

"General Ironwood will send you the schematics of our newest projects via your holo-mail." informed Jacques. "You will use those when permission to be given an audience from the Chancellor has been granted."

"Right away, father." confirmed Weiss. "Is there anything else you need, father?"

"No, my daughter." Jacques shook his head, satisfied that Weiss was ready to take on the responsibility as a Senator for the first time. "You may be excused. Just be prepared for your meeting with the Senate. Your duties as our glorious Senator will be tested there." Finally, her worries for the scar and the recounting of her shabby encounter with her assassin were past her now. The next time she was going to be met with such dangerous troubles, she was going to challenge them with more caution and with prejudice.

"I will not let you down, father." She bowed to her father once more, vowing to fulfil her duties and make him, and her planet, proud. The war had already begun, and as Remnant troops were being deployed to other fronts, Atlas was beginning its move on the home front to give the Republic the finest war machines it could muster.

Weiss turned around and began the move to exit the room, leaving her father to continue pondering about his own plans to expand his influence. He would leave it up to Weiss to gather political support from the Senate and prove to the Republic that the Schnee Mining Corporation was a force to be reckoned with.

As she exited the fancy halls outside her father's office, she turned towards the spiral stairs that would descend down to a large open hall with white marble pillars, fitted with blue and gold accents completing that glorious, high-class interior design. Almost everywhere in the building had the same demand for the exquisite; building upon the rich atmosphere the tower represented.

As Weiss stepped down the curved stairs to the sparkly floor down below, her thoughts were honed on her new role as Senator. She needed to know what kinds of other duties she would need to further accomplish. Many Senators before her had achieved something incredible in their lives, either through politics, economy, sociality or even conflict. She often wondered; what could she do to increase her status?

Her path to become a Senator has been one that required intense training and the building of a delicate mind towards the many opportunities the galaxy had to offer. All those years of training with her blade, those years of endless studies and political lecturing. It had all prepared her for the very day she would be given such a high position within the Solitas government. She worked her way from being a mere student participating in the most prestigious of academies, to excelling within the College of Strahlender Wind. After finally embracing political studies, she also took time to learn about military procedures and history, culminating in numerous sparring sessions and shooting tests. Everything she needed to perfect her form and make her into who she was now.

Now that she was Senator of Solitas, she had the full trust of the people to make decisions that would benefit the planet and her father's company. However, she felt that there was a bit of emptiness in her role, like there had to be more to it than meeting with other esteemed Senators and help manage the political framework of the government.

She was missing one little ingredient... An ingredient not recommended by most of her peers, but something she felt was indeed a worthy feature for herself.

She needed... action. Clearly, words alone would not influence the choices made in the fledgling war between the Republic and the Separatists. If she needed to make effective choices, especially after her brush with death, she had to be more than just some politician. Not a soldier, for she still preferred not to get her hands soaked with blood and tears. Maybe something less complicated. But what could help her fulfil that need of security?

Weiss was already down on the red carpet lining between the bottom of the stairs and the door to the main elevator. Both sides of her were flanked by six metal statues embodied into the forms of the greatest of the Schnee family for generations, including the large-bodied Nicholas Schnee; regarded as the one with the highest accomplishments. Whenever Weiss laid her eyes on his statue, she always wondered if she would join in the long line of Schnees who had made history. Her father had his statue already built at the very end of the right line of them. Now, she could imagine hers being set just opposite his, holding Myrtenaster up high and strong. Painted in shining silver, her statue would immortalize her status as another powerhouse of the family name.

"Mistress Schnee." Weiss groaned. The mention of her name by a particular voice cut her off from her imaginative state to be forced back into reality. Behind her, she was met by a sight she did not wish to see right now.

A young girl, at least seemingly her age, with orange hair so curly, dressed in a sleek servant's blouse that was silver and grey in colour. A pink bow was tied on top of her hair and black thigh-high stockings lined up from her feet up to her legs complete with a black collar that had green glowing line son on each side. She had her hands tied to her front in a humble stance, bowing to greet Weiss. "I have the schematics from General Ironwood set in my databanks. Is there anything else I can do to assist you?"

She seemed to be a sweet young lady, courteous and attentive, willing to serve the heiress with the duties she was given. However, Weiss was not really taking her presence very well, scowling at her face.

"What more can you do, droid?" she scoffed. "You're here to do what you were built to do; translate." The supposedly humanoid figure took no offense by the rude remark, standing with a smile as always.

The truth was, the girl was actually a droid. A Class-Three droid built to be Weiss' servant unit throughout her service as Senator. A gift from one of Atlas' most successful scientists to help her in her Senatorial duties.

What made this one even more unique was the fact that it looked simply human, acted simply human… felt like simply human. In fact, she was able to move fluidly and freely without any mechanical joints or delays to her movements, all like a regular, fleshy organic being. It was no wonder people who had seen her would mistake her for being as such. The one thing that bothered Weiss a lot was how the droid was actually speaking like the happy-go-lucky character she was programmed with. Everything about her didn't seem droid-like at all, like a regular living organism. Of course, the droid had a layer of synthetic skin over her mechanical exterior, hiding the real deal beneath it.

"But my databanks inform me that you are most capable at speaking in over fifty different languages." the servant droid spoke with her mouth moving just as fluidly, though her speech was pretty much the only thing that was robotic; still having a bit of emotion to her speech patterns. "With the addition that most Senators are capable of speaking Galactic Basic, I think you will be finest."

"Can you not calculate the hundreds of other Senators out there?" argued Weiss. "How could you even possibly think that I can speak all of their languages?" She then stamped her foot, frustrated over the shallow ignorance this droid was constantly throwing at her. "In fact, why do you even think?"

"My father created me with the first of Atlas' newest form of advanced artificial intelligence." answered P-3NY, an answer needlessly given to Weiss. "I am capable of processing human-like perceptions to assist in logical choices. And I am also most capable of functioning like a regular human being." Not that she was any bit impressed, Weiss simply huffed, unwilling to hear any more about what **it** was about to say next. Straight to the point, she was all in on shutting its vocal receptors off.

"You're still a servant droid, P-3NY, with or without those modifications and intelligence. So do not expect me to be impressed by whatever else you can possibly pull off." Not saying anymore, Weiss continued on towards the elevator as its doors opened up. When she entered, all she could see outwards was P-3NY, still standing there as annoying as ever.

"Do you still require any other aid to your mission, Miss Schnee?" asked the servant. "I would be most grateful for any…"

"You are to provide me with the schematics. That is all." interrupted Weiss, angrily. Afterwards, she decided to spit out a venomous quote towards her, not bothering to expect once that the droid would even take any offense to her comment. "And you can't possibly be grateful for anything, droid. Now, get in."

Before long, P-3NY bowed in response, but when her voice came out, it was changed to somewhat of a hurt tone, as if she did care about what Weiss had to say.

"Understood, Miss Schnee." Still, no heart for the droid, as Weiss couldn't care less and waited for P-3NY to enter the lift and press the button to proceed to her mission. The lift doors closed, and so did Weiss' day on her father's place of work…

At least, that was what she hoped for…

* * *

Weiss reached the ground floor of the tower, exiting the lift and heading into the much larger, and shinier, lobby. She walked down the steps down from where the three lifts would take its passengers up and down the complex, and took a stroll across the soft, red carpeting that lead to the glass doors at the front. Around her, she could see the huge amount of people throughout the lobby, mainly office workers of the place, or probably hopeful interns looking for a chance to work within the luxurious and prestigious innards of the tower itself. WA-7 service droids, functioning as receptionists, were stationed at the nearby information counter to provide them with whatever business that were about to do inside.

Speaking of droids, Weiss had told her less-than-amusing servant droid to prepare her ship, intent on heading back to her private mansion, far away into the zone where the highest of the highest lived. A large estate where she and her family could enjoy themselves within the glow of Schnee luxury, a similar lifestyle to that of the Tarkin family abodes in Eriadu, thankfully without the mandatory need for being sent to the wild to be trained like a barbaric caveman, as far as she heard from her father during one of his visits to the Tarkin family compound.

As she was about to exit the tower lobby and out into the capital city square, Weiss could see her two royal guards, standing outside the doors with their energy pikes, as expected. She headed over to them to prepare them for escort, but as she came out, she saw that they were not standing in their usual positions; standing straight and ready to move out. This time, they were there, speaking with another uniformed personal that she instantly recognized as her very own elite captain of the guard.

The man, without his Altesian guard helmet on, was speaking to the two men with the utmost alarm. Weiss assumed that he was being pressured by the amount of security required to protecting her, now that she was a prime victim for any assassination attempts, primarily by the White Fang or Mandalore. If anything, he was probably ensuring that he was reminding them to be more vigilant of their surroundings. Other than that, she would be sure that the captain was also given himself the task of being there personally to add up to the protection.

At this point, Weiss had something in mind. Something her father wouldn't really like to hear, but was well worth the risk if she were to prove herself even more. She thought it would be a good idea to become involved in matters that were not so highly recommended by those around her, even her own father. After all, it was written in the regulations that a Senator shall devote herself to any military affairs, should it benefit the well-being of her planet. That was the basic rule.

With her eyes now set on improving her status as the Senator of Solitas, she could finally show her planet, and especially her family, that she could handle more than sitting idly by at the Senatorial platform to argue about matters with other planets. There was more to her role than arranging business or political deals with other members of the Republic.

For far too long, she trained to be more than just the heiress of a major business corporation. She trained to be a Schnee; fighting for prosperity and the glory of Solitas. If she wanted to achieve true glory, she would have to put herself in situations that would require the use of her firearm and her rapier, Myrtenaster. She had been through worse before, so what was going to stop her now? This was her chance to fulfil her needs to become the Senator everyone needed.

Weiss headed towards the three guards, eager to hear what was being discussed by the blonde-haired captain.

"What is the matter, captain?" she called out to him, causing him to turn around, alerted by her sudden arrival.

"Nothing, milady." answered the captain, Heinrad, who immediately tried to dismiss her interests. "It's just military business." Weiss snuck a glaring stare at Heinrad, ready to get herself involved.

"Military business is part of my Senatorial duties, captain." Weiss strictly reminded the captain. She crossed her arms together to prove her authority over the three men. "So, do tell me. Is there anything that needs to be done?" No one dared to challenge the temper of Weiss Schnee. If she needed something done, it had to be done. A simple question that always had the most necessary of answers.

"We have reports of suspected violent activity in the southwest ridge, outside the city walls." reported Heinrad. "One of our outposts has been assaulted by a few unknown men. Fortunately, no major damage or casualties, and the crooks have been detained. Three of them."

"Snow Raiders?" asked Weiss.

"Presumably, milady." confirmed Heinrad. "They were wearing the same clothes that the Raiders usually wear." It was possible that the Snow Raiders, savage natives who lived in the deepest and darkest realms of the icy canyons of the planet, would be responsible for attacking any Atlesian in sight. Ever since the first settlers arrived to colonize the planet, the Raiders were always there to make things sufferable for the colonizers. Millennia later, they were still a constant threat to the current governments of Solitas, despite being less and less a force to be reckoned with by the evolution of the modern society.

However, something about their attack seemed rather… off. Attacking people that came across their sights was one thing, but to attack a fully defended installation was another issue altogether. The Raiders were barbaric and violent in their own right, but as Weiss would hate to admit it, they were much smarter than to blindly attack an outpost without a solid attack plan. To launch a strike against the outpost with only three men, it didn't make sense, unless, of course, these were rather reckless acts by rogue members among their kind.

Unconvinced, Weiss asked again to get more answers and narrow her guesses.

"What else do you know?"

"They were caught wielding explosives and attempted to bombard an outpost stationed there. They were stunned down and arrested for further interrogation." informed the captain. The new answers given out greatly shortened the range of questions she had in her head. She felt her search for the right answer was about to come to an end to rule out the wrong suspects.

"I'm sure those are not Snow Raiders, captain." After pondering, finger to her lips, she determined the hunch she had that there were other parties involved.

"Milady? What are you inquiring?" Heinrad beckoned.

"For one, those barbarians would only use swords and primitive blasters." explained Weiss. "Any explosives involved would only range from incendiary devices or fire cocktails." As she continued to think, she felt a growing concern that something dark was happening behind this peculiar case. She had some guesses to what could be the feasible motive towards this unorthodox attack. It was time to get the truth behind it. "Perhaps it'd be best to launch our interrogation and confirm who they really are and what they could be up to."

" **Our** interrogation, miss?" The bafflement was obvious in Heinrad's face upon hearing how Weiss had decided to include herself in this case so suddenly, but he was not going to get any further when the Senator so nonchalantly walked towards the city square after the steps.

"Prepare my shuttle. I shall help get to the bottom of these attacks and provide proof to the Council with our findings."

"Out of the question, milady." protested Heinrad. "Your father gave us specific orders not to get you physically involved in affairs that are potentially fatal. In this case, a possible trap for you. Plus, you are booked to meet with the Senate. You need to proceed to Coruscant as soon as possible."

At that moment, Weiss stopped just at very bottom of the steps, hearing the captain speak against her wishes. The nerve of Heinrad to deny her the chance for greater achievements, Weiss was almost furious. She was angered by how he would be so willing to decide what she must or mustn't do. It was inconceivable to have someone who had defended you from harm all this time, to have you restricted back to do nothing about what she felt was necessary, even if it was from a bunch of barbarians.

With the turn of her body back towards the captain, she placed her hands onto her hips while glaring right at the captain's face. Her furrowed brows easily told the captain that she was not taking his denial of her actions too lightly. She always hated it; having her hopes and dreams come crashing down because someone thought she was not up to the task. As a result, she would let them have a taste of how dissatisfied she was of them ruining her chances of bettering her status or realizing the threats in her way.

"I am more than a Senator, captain." She swiped her arm with frustration in her body. "I am the daughter of the man who owns the proudest force in the galaxy! A mere band of arsonists or terrorists shall not frighten me." The heiress made her spirit of purpose and responsibility show her eagerness to challenge the limitations of what she was meant to do as Solitas' new voice for the people. All of this coming from a girl who survived an assassination attempt by like-minded low-lives that made her commit to her role. "And I don't care if you're going to refuse my demands. I shall head out and solve this problem on my own if I have to."

Heinrad fidgeted from the furious response he got from Weiss, prompting him to act.

"Very well!" He hurriedly stopped her from ranting more. The pressures of committing his loyalty to the Schnee family made him almost unable to question the motives of any of the members of the family, not even the woman he was encouraged to keep away problems from. They were just that powerful towards their employees or any other person working for and under them. Despite him being much older than Weiss, almost ten years older to be exact, as well as his devotion for the protection of the family, he was still vulnerable to listening to orders and allowing them to run around at their own devices. As long as he would accompany Weiss as she joined the investigation, it probably wouldn't hurt, would it?

Satisfied, though still bitter over his reluctance to allow her to do the necessary course of action, Weiss relaxed, glad that her suggestions to join the case were met with acceptance.

Reluctantly, Heinrad signalled his guards to form up behind Weiss as he led her to her mansion to get her transport ready. The guards, as always, did not share any expressions towards the sudden change in the plans and followed through with the order. As long as they were doing what they were told by her, they were to keep their jobs and maintain security in her presence.

Weiss and her escorts then moved away from the grand tower and into the bustling of the city square, where she would ignore any attention given to her as she headed for home, on her way to her first real duties as Senator of Solitas to ensure the power of the planet was secured.

As she prepared to disembark, one last worry ran through her mind. Her father.

As much as she wanted to let her father know that she would be part of a plan to preserve peace and order within Solitas itself, Weiss was sure that her father wouldn't like the idea of her abandoning her duties to go do anything that he specifically told her not to do.

She never knew why; maybe it was because he was really looking out for her, hopeful that she wouldn't be too astray into danger, or worse, just didn't think she was ever up to the task to perform such dangerous missions. The latter guess was a bit of a depressing note for the heiress.

Weiss was always trained to be very skilled in the defensive arts, making use of her rapier whenever she needed to remind her foes of her prowess in battle. And yet, with all her grace and power, she was still discouraged from ever participating in many events that required full physical force, military or security-wise.

She hoped that whatever should happen to her on this quest, her father would not be too uneasy with her side-lining her duties in the Senate to pursue what she felt was a necessary trip to protect the interests of the Solitian people. She hoped that he would understand her desire to become a better Senator would also prove to the people that she was far more competent than ever. Someone that they could rely on.

Through time, if she managed to prove herself capable of doing these missions, she would gain more respect and trust from not just her people, or the Council, but also, especially, her father.

* * *

 _The Eberle,_

 _Bergoth' den Kaltor Todaren_ ,

Solitas,

Remnant System,

Weiss couldn't remember the last time she had ventured out from the walls of Atlas, or any other city in the planet. For good reason, too…

The freezing, blistering winds of _Bergoth' den Kaltor Todaren_ , were some of the most notorious in all of Solitas. It was the site of one of the bloodiest battles between the modern Solitian people and the Snow Raiders, many centuries ago during the Great War. A battle where thousands of lives were lost more to the extremely fatal blizzards than the actual fighting, in addition to the superior knowledge of the environment of the Raiders.

With the blood freezing away after centuries since then, the wild mountains were now relatively calm and peaceful, even if traversing the endless blizzards in the mountains still proved to be a death sentence for all who travelled there.

Like Weiss wouldn't care less about foolish men and women who tried to brave the odds, only to die worthless deaths in these mountains. At the same time, she was also kind of impressed that any squad of troopers that had been sent to protect that sector of the mountains could endure such treacherous weather conditions.

She started to show some worry in her face, as she looked into her handheld monitor, nervous over what she could face from stepping down into the snow. Even within the warmth of her luxury yacht, _The Erbele,_ she could still feel a sense of chilling cold from the weather outside. She cursed at the lack of proper heating in her own transport, wondering if the manufacturers who made her ship were doing their jobs correctly when they thought about installing the right features fit for her job. She wouldn't be surprised if the cooling system didn't function just as efficiently in any hotter world she would visit.

She headed out of her curved cushion within the ship's main hull and went to the cupboard just nearby, passing through the table of fine beverages and opened up to inspect her wardrobe. Browsing through the immense amount of fancy clothing she had in her cupboard, she eventually picked out the thick blue snow coat that went with her taste for elegance.

Upon putting in it on, she grimaced. She didn't really find the outfit comfortable, being quite stuffy and burdening on her body.

She did, of course, know that anything was better than freezing to death, so not even her personal fashion senses could ever convince her to choose otherwise. She was encouraged by her father to not be too proud of her personal choices in order to be the perfect person. However, there was a sense of pride that kept her from wearing the goggles that came with the coat, feeling that she was fine without them.

After being forced to put on the coat, she prepared to move out, making her way for the side door that was flanked by her guards. Heinrad was just waiting there, dressed in his winter combat armour; almost the same clothing as his usual armour, but with added insulation and a skirt-like belt kama hanging down to his feet. The guards also wore the same uniforms, fitted to protect Weiss within this freezing wonderland.

The ramp dropped down as the door of the ship opened. Immediately, the full force of the mountainous blizzards came rushing right in, almost blasting Weiss with that powerful Solitian winter as it struck her face. Instantly shivering from the cold rushing into her skin, she quickly covered her face with the right tip of the hood of her coat, shielding herself from being blinded by the force of the wind and snow.

Slowly after withstanding the initial blast of wind, she descended down, followed by her guards while carefully making sure didn't slip down. Once they stepped onto the ground, they made their way towards the outpost. They already landed within its walls, which were further strengthened by plasma panels that helped to repel any unwanted guests. A small section of the wall revealed a large cracked hole on it, leaving Weiss to confirm that it was the entrance made to enter the outpost.

Speaking of intruders, the group headed for the lone structure of the outpost, which was basically a tower built over a standard Atlesian bunker with the same architectural style as many Solitian buildings. The entire area was blanketed by snow wherever Weiss looked and her sights were slightly fogged by the sheer blizzard happening right now.

They managed to navigate their way to the front entrance of the building, following the flashing red beacon just above the door. They then entered into the small opening of the entrance just before the door, finally relieving them from the deadly snowstorm.

From there, Heinrad stood at the side to meet the outpost guard that was watching the entrance from the guard post built into the base. She was operating on the computer console, sitting idly while getting into her work when the head guard of the Schnee came forth to call her.

"What is your business here, guard?" asked the guard. Just as Heinrad was about to respond, Weiss barged right in, stepping in front and letting the guard know that her presence marked a very serious matter.

"It's **my** business, lieutenant." addressed the Senator, alarming the guard of her arrival.

"Miss Schnee!" She jumped at the sight of Weiss standing right in front of her. "I wasn't informed of your arrival."

"I've been told that several arsonists attacked the outpost." Weiss wasted no time with what the guard thought and immediately went to the matter of the attackers. "Where are they now?"

"Chained and locked up in our detention cell, Miss Schnee." answered the guard immediately.

"Good. Lend me in, so I can get to the bottom of their meaningless attack."

"Very well." the guard complied right away, tapping into the holo-keyboard to unlock the doors and allow the group to enter, knowing not to question the orders of a Schnee, no matter what the case. The doors slid into both sides of the frame, revealing the corridor of the bunker for Weiss and her guards to enter right in.

Despite the rather dull metal surroundings of the bunker's interior, Weiss found herself praising the bunker's heating system as opposed to that lacklustre one in her ship. She kept her coat on from the extreme cold she sustained, and added with the heating, she was now content on the perfect temperature control she was given.

She and the guards continued to head on down to the lower levels of the bunker, reaching the detention level soon after. From the elevator doors, Weiss was now looking at the depressing environment of the prisoners' solitude that was the centre of detention blocks, situated by a circular command console. Four short tunnels of detention blocks surrounded the centre, watched by a lone security warden who was making sure nothing went wrong.

The warden allowed the group to enter one of the blocks, and escorted them as they view the narrow cells on both sides of the corridor. As expected, Weiss could find many of the cells were vacant, with the exception of a lone Weequay convict, dressed in prison clothes. Walking more into the corridor, the warden eventually led them to the cell where the right prisoners were held in.

Behind the ray-shielded door, Weiss viewed inside to find the suspected Raiders being held inside, with their hands cuffed behind their backs. When Weiss came to the scene, they turned their heads to find the disgusting sight of one of their enemy coming to see them. They kept their snow clothes on, given that any attempt to dress them in their prison clothes would be met with hostility. That was the expected reason behind a Snow Raider's lack of cooperation to accept their defeats. The fabrics of their clothes were made from the skins of the local wildlife, down to the tough hide goggles. The icy blue snow clothes that were accompanied by fur collars around the neck, brought down with the hood. The prisoner on the right wore a full ski-mask to cover the bottom half of his face, hiding any trace of human identity from the spectators.

These were definitely Snow Raider clothing if Weiss ever saw them. Still, that wasn't enough to convince Weiss that these were exactly Snow Raiders. The fact that they still assaulted an entire outpost with explosive devices contradicts their way of battling. There had to be something more to these wrongdoers than meets the eye.

"Open the doors." demanded Weiss.

"Milady?" yelped the warden.

"Open them." Weiss didn't need to ask twice; she was firm with her order to open up and see the troublemakers for herself. Without any second thoughts, the warden nodded while making his way to the panel and lifted the ray-shield. Weiss, without reluctance, entered into the cell, with her guards standing by to act should the prisoners do anything. Staring them in the face, she took a closer look at their faces.

They were indeed human males, judging by their faces. The problem was that their heads were covered beneath their hoods and their eyes shielded by the lens of their goggles. If there was prime suspicion that these weren't really the same barbaric locals that lived on this planet, then it would be best for Weiss to get a better look at them.

Carefully, she reached her hand out, only to be met with some low growling by the left prisoner who she tried to unravel. The guards outside responded by raising their weapons at the inmates for relenting. Weiss quickly held her hand up to stop the guards, not anticipating that the prisoners would go far in attacking her while they were apprehended by the handcuffs.

Weiss inched closer to take off the hood and see for herself, who these hooligans were. What were they really after, and what were their motives to attack the Atlesian military without even considering the repercussions of their assault? These were the questions that she felt were needed to solve this case.

Finally, after some hostile growling from the prisoner, Weiss grabbed his hood and pulled it right behind his head, revealing the face of the low-life.

A pair of long, furry dog-like ears popped out from the hood, sticking from out of the man's brown hair. When taking a closer look at the man's teeth, Weiss could now easily see that the canines were longer than the usual human's. Panicked by the sight, she then removed the ski mask and goggles of the other prisoner, confirming her worst fears at an unexpected twist. The second one had skin, scaly and purple in colour, with canine teeth longer than the first guy and a pair of venomous yellow eyes like that of a serpent.

These weren't Snow Raiders; neither were they even human at all. They were Faunus. And if there was any particular group of Faunus who dared to threaten her life, it had to be the only one she absolutely knew was the culprit of all of her and her family's problems.

"Just as I suspected." she hissed. "White Fang."

Heinrad, the guards and the warden couldn't believe what had been unearthed by the Senator. A pair of White Fang terrorists, here in Solitas, disguised as Raiders to attack the army with deadly force.

The lead guard now realized what Weiss had suspected this whole time. She knew exactly how the Snow Raiders would fight against their enemies, and assessed how unlikely it was that they would actually attack a fully-defended outpost without strategic planning. He was surprised she had made such an intuitive analysis of the threat when no one else looked any further into it. For all he knew, those prisoners would have waited for the right time for the security to release them and bring them back to the nearest Raider settlement, and would strike at the very next instant, based on what he had experienced with previous members of the White Fang before.

The covers were blown, and Weiss was standing very crossly, glaring at the two White Fang trespassers to determine their purpose to attack a military base. She heard that the White Fang had never dared attack any military installation in Solitas, so she took this chance to get answers.

"You won't get away this time, princess." growled the canine Faunus. "Your little corporate empire's gonna fall faster than flies."

"I am not here to be fanciful with your dirty little antics, Faunus." hissed Weiss, slowly provoked by the intense anger by the prisoner. "What I **do** require is why you intend on attacking an Atlesian outpost?" She inquisitively questioned them, eager to find out of what they would gain from their move.

"You're so smart; you figure it out." taunted the serpent Faunus. Now, Weiss had snapped a nerve. Sharply shifting her sights onto the other terrorist, she gave him one little warning to show them that she meant business. Since they were clearly White Fang, the beautiful heiress was about to unleash an otherwise powerful show of force.

With a powerful and angry stare, she pointed her eyes right into the unblinking pair of yellow orbs with just amount of ferocity against him.

"Where are you launching your operations from? I am not going to ask twice." warned Weiss.

"Why should we tell you?" the prisoner spat.

"Because if something terrible would ever happen to me, my father shall let the Council know of your pitiful organization's existence in this sector. And you can bet that such action would then lead to the destruction of everything you so dearly waste in your cause." Weiss continued to threaten them with the best she could give them. No one would ever hope to challenge the might of the Atlesian Army, and retribution would be swift should there be any harm towards her.

Then, the snake-like Faunus soon startled to chuckle menacingly at her claims. A bit of habitual hissing to add coldness to the insulting gesture and Weiss fell very ill to hear it. She just warned them of the biggest form of punishment that should be forced upon the prisoners, and all the terrorist could do was laugh. Either he was being a moron for underestimating her, or if he was really sure he and his pitiful cause could actually fight the army head on.

What he would say next would prove to be the final straw…

"And what would you do?" With no remorse, the terrorist continued to spit his taunts at Weiss. "You're nothing but a prissy princess who wants nothing but to see us suffer. How could you ever expect us to give you what you want after all the torment you and your rat of a father put us through?"

And that was it. Weiss' beautiful pale skin was soon reddened by anger and humiliation. Her teeth gritted with all her rage at the words of this evil fiend. At once, her muscles tensed and her instincts drove her to break her own grace to do the unthinkable.

With one swish of her arm, she pulled Myrtenaster from her belt and swung it forward, shocking the guards and the prisoners. She then slashed the blade against the prisoner, pointing it just inches away from his neck.

For the first time, Weiss could see the terror in the eyes of the terrorist, fidgeting in fear, almost feeling the sharp tip of her rapier almost about to pierce right into his fleshy neck. In addition to the rage in her eyes, the victimizer was now the victim.

"How are you any different?" Weiss sighed with pure angst. She remembered how violent and merciless the White Fang was towards many people she knew. People she once cherished and admired. People who made her for who she was now.

People… who were dead because of them.

"You have committed murders against my family and my father's friends! You spoil our advances to greater glory and kill people doing so! If you think we made you suffer, then you have made us far more miserable than we needed to be! So, you tell me; how are you any better than the Schnee Mining Corporation?!"

The furious response to their ignorance came loud and clear, echoing through the room like a massive push of the Force. Her rage was heartfelt to the core, putting everyone in the room in utter disbelief over the broken grace of a beloved Senator.

Even Weiss herself had been scared by her own anger and vengeance, almost causing her to loosen her grip on the rapier. She had never burst out in pure vexation like this, ever in her life. But deep down, she knew she had to let her feelings fire out like a raging fire melting through that icy skin of Atlesian elegance. Far too long, many people she used to know were all gone within the blink of an eye. All died with a cold embrace of death, not given the chance to even pray for mercy as the terrorists blow their bodies apart or even slit their throats, all to satisfy a cause that only brought more suffering and death throughout their mad campaign.

For Weiss, her anger was a moment of justice. She was bent on ending the threat of the White Fang and the forces that wished to conspire against her and her family. From now on, she would be willing to use whatever power she had in her body to punish the evil that had spread across the Remnant System.

Through this, she knew she would be a hero. Her father would be most proud of her and she would be named one of the greatest Schnees of all time.

Even still, as Weiss vented her frustrations at them, the dog-like Faunus began to grin very mischievously. She could feel more of her blood boiling hot from the lack of empathy these two were showing, almost willing to give them a piece of her mind for being so ignorant.

But when the White Fang member spoke, he was about to tell her how different they were to the likes of the Schnee.

"We are brothers." the terrorist laughed. "We fight alongside each other, we die for each other. But most of all, we care for each other."

 **BOOM!**

Suddenly, the base was struck with a loud explosive sound, causing Weiss and her guards to jump into alarm. At the next second, the warning sirens ringed throughout the base, followed by flashes of red lights shining all over the place.

Another explosion followed, elevating the emergency even further. Weiss didn't like where this was going. From the looks of the White Fang prisoners, they seemed to have known that something like this was about to happen. As if on point, the way the first prisoner stopped talking about the bonds between them and their fellow members, Weiss knew exactly what was about to happen next.

"They're here. Our brothers."

 **A/N~ Not much of action going on, but I still wish for this to be a nice little chapter to get Weiss to begin her role in the story.**

 **And yes, Penny is a superbly advanced droid in this story. I know it might be a little farfetched to make her this completely human-like droid in a Star Wars story, but then again, this is Star Wars; a universe where the impossible can be made possible.**

 **Also, not much of her in this story, I know, but she will have more to do in future chapters. I've even planned an entire chapter of her, so stay tuned!**


	19. Senator's Wrath

**A/N~ Hope everyone's doing well! It's been quite slow with updates, for now. I have found work in a game development studio and have been putting off some of my fanfiction drive to be used in my job.**

 **Also, I'm going to stop going along with this writing habit of mine; that I always seem to separate chapters into two due to the worry of overwriting. However, it has become apparent that I have only made it slightly worse with the half-chapters now ending up being too long to be joined into one. So, I'm going to be more cautious over the amount of writing I'm doing and try to confine everything into simpler chapters from now on.**

 **Reviews:**

 **Cy Man**

 **Do take your time in the review! I hope I haven't overdone it with the writing XD**

 **Sonochu**

 **Long story short; glad you like the story! And the concerns of the story dragging on too far, as we've already discussed in my PM box, has been addressed, but I'm glad it's not too messy or hard.**

 **Special thanks to Snakey1998, DarkHero12, matthewsaj617, ZetaD20, hellfiredarkness, ExplodedPoet and guillox23 for the favourites and follows!**

 **So, hopefully, this second part of Weiss' story will be the last of this ridiculous writing habit of mine. So, for now, hope you enjoy regardless. Thanks for the support, and may the Force be with us all!**

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Senator's Wrath**

Outpost Kodiak,

 _Bergoth' den Kaltor Todaren_ ,

Solitas,

Remnant System,

There was a series of low booming sounds coming from outside the base, rumbling the eardrums of the occupants down below in the detention area, blocked by the constant wailing of the emergency alert siren ringing into them. The guards down below circled around Weiss Schnee as they all made their way towards the entrance of the outpost.

Weiss was hearing the noises of battle for the first time in her life, and she was terrified. Explosions were occasional during the course of her seventeen years of life, shoot-outs between her guards and other enemies happened only twice but were still horrid to relive, and, ultimately, an assassination attempt scarred her, physically and emotionally. As if her troubles were hectic enough; now she was right in the middle of what sounded like a skirmish.

The company of five; Weiss, her guards and the prison warden, reached for the command console at the lobby area, where the latter manned the panel to contact the gate officer up above for a status update.

"Meran!" The warden spoke into the console, contacting the entrance officer outside. "Report!" From the buzzy feed from the speakers, Weiss could hear the alarming noises of blaster fire being raced right into the premises. The voice of the gate officer was completely gargled, filled with static that cut off her voice at random intervals. "Several Raiders are firing at us from outside the gates, sir!" warned the officer. "Units are engaging them, but they're being pinned down!" Just then, the transmission became even more messed up, but Weiss could hear the voice of the officer grow even louder and more panicky, making her heart race even more with terror. "Systems malfunctioning! Losing… con…" And then, one final second later, the transmission died.

Weiss could already assume the worst. With an attack so voracious upon the officer, it seemed like a raiding party of White Fang scum, coming right into the base and destroying everything in sight. Regret was already building up inside, remembering her father's exact words about going into affairs that the Schnee were not allowed to enter in. He would always discourage her to get involved in rough situations where she might get hurt from, only to use her voice and beauty as weapons against more vocal threats. She wanted to prove to her father that she could do much more than being a Senator. She felt that she was given the task of helping the people of Solitas in general, no matter how restricted her role may have sounded.

With that in mind, she decided to forget her concerns, confident that her victory could give herself the chance to have her role expanded to become a better leader for the people, to also brave the dangers of inside threats that intimidate her. With everything she learnt from her training with the sword and military combat, she would also lead any force that she would come across.

So, after bearing witness to the first stages of an attack first-hand, she and her guards got back into the elevator, dedicated to taking down the terrorists that were attacking the outpost, with or without Heinrad's opposition to it. The doors of the elevator shut close, putting Weiss and her guards into the tiny chamber of darkness, only illuminated by the gloomy red lights that came on during the attack. She didn't know how many enemies there were, but no matter how dastard things were out there, she was going to face the danger head on.

After going up to ground level, Weiss was already heading for the front doors with her escorts with her rapier in her hand. The guards had their Atlesian carbines at the ready, locked and loaded to protect the Senator as they would direct her towards their ship. They were unaware, however, that Weiss had other ideas. She was not going to get out of here until she showed the White Fang that she was not afraid to challenge them.

Once the doors opened, that was when the chaos began. Immediately, after opening the doors, the blaster bolts went right through, hitting the ceiling and the walls around the group. Heinrad instinctively pulled Weiss by the arm and dragged her along towards the frame of the entrance while the other guards returned fire upon the direction where the attackers were.

Red blaster bolts flew towards their direction, with only blue ion blasts from the guard's rifles retaliating back. Weiss prepared the energy power clip into her rapier, clicking the button at the hilt to power it up. Her DT-29 was also being loaded afterwards, making sure the clip was primed before she would fire back. No one could see the attackers properly from the numerous blaster fire being fired against them, forcing them down without being able to check out what was going on.

When Heinrad managed to peer over the frame to look for the door officer in the control room, he was too late. The entrance officer, Meran, was already dead, gunned down by one of the assailant's shots.

"Officer's dead." he gasped. Weiss gripped her rapier even tighter after what she heard, enraged by the death of an unarmed person. It was all true; the White Fang were just as murderous and barbaric, like a pair of beowolves, as her father always warned her. Now, they were going to pay for their murderous rampage.

"An all-out attack on an outpost." Heinrad groaned in disbelief. "Those aren't Raiders for sure." Weiss was about to move out and fire back at the enemy, but she was stopped by Heinrad, pulling her back down to keep her out of harm's way, just as another energy shot crashed right above them.

"Milady! We have to get you back to the ship!" he shouted at her, pressured by the rapid fire being blasted all around them. "You need to stay down and let the armed personnel take care of them!" Weiss didn't listen, taking out her pistol to get herself ready for battle.

"No time!" she alerted. "If those terrorists think they could attack us and get away with it, then we must fight back." She was about to stand up, heading for the battle at hand, only to be stopped by his elite guard again. Defiant against his demands for her withdrawal from combat, she refused to cower away while the enemy was still out there. This was her chance to make use of her skills.

"Milady!" shouted Heinrad again.

"I can fight, captain." Weiss urged. "This is what I've been training for." With the click of her rapier, she ignited the energy crystal inside the cylindrical clip and allowed the metal of the sword's blade to electrify into a field of energy that surrounded it. She then pulled out her revolver and charged forward, without backing out at all. The hopes that she would be able to apprehend the terrorists and allow a victory for the army would cement her status as a Senator who could fight with her weapons as well as her voice.

"Come on!" Heinrad yelled to his men, hurriedly ordering them to back Weiss up. Within formation, they fired their weapons back at the terrorists.

Weiss entered the fray, already predicting that the focus would be on her for the attackers to shoot her. The blaster bolts were locked on at her, just as she deduced. She then ran towards a metal barricade just outside the entrance, taking cover while readying her blaster to fire back.

The guards managed to catch up with her, ducking down with their blasters firing back immediately. Heinrad stood just next to Weiss, reloading his weapon after a full burst of his weapon. While he was packing in another energy charge into his carbine, he was still adamant on getting the heiress out of the zone and back to the safety of the city.

"Milady!" he yelled amidst the blasts lowing up around them. "I'm not sure we could even hold out long enough against these thugs! We need to leave!" Weiss simply shrugged off that advice, feeling that dealing with the terrorists was the better option.

"You are an elite guard, Captain!" urged Weiss. "It is your duty to ensure I survive!"

"And for you to survive, we need to head to the ship!" argued Heinrad again.

"There is no telling if those terrorists have any explosives or anything to destroy the ship!" warned the heiress, resulting to use a physical form of reasoning to keep her in the game. "There are also people in this base who need our help! Reinforcements are too far!" Truth be told, she had a legitimate reason to stay back and fight the terrorists while the nearest backup was still far away. She had to lead her guards and whoever was left to defend the outpost against the enemy.

Heinrad had to concede. Weiss had made her point and he had to incline on defending a vital military position in these parts of the mountain. Guarding the Senator was still his main objective, so covering her while they fought the enemy could still ensure her survival in the matter.

"Just cover me!" Weiss had no time to stick around and argue. Immediately, she peered over the barricade and fired her pistol at the enemy. From there, she could finally see the enemy from the opened gateway, with the same blasted hole just next to it. She noted the number of hostiles in the area; making out five terrorists in total. Twelve of them were already on the ground, shooting their weapons ferociously towards her and her forces. One of them was on top of the control tower, presumably being the one who opened the gate to allow the rest in.

Weiss couldn't make out any other reason why they would open up the large gateway, when they had one hole at the wall They never knew what was going to come through the gate now that they opened it.

In between shots, Weiss took cover to reload her weapon, backed by her guards as they fired along with her. She aimed her weapon at the enemy forces, focusing on their movements and shoot where they would end up next.

The terrorists began to rush forward, strafing from side to side, backing off and jumping forward to dodge the blue bolts from their targets. Their rifles were shot off, releasing their strings of energy blasts at the heiress. Weiss took in the tense firestorm of shots fired towards her, letting the blaster bolts going past her and forcing her back down for cover. Her weapon soon ran out of charges, quickly prompting her to rush through her weapon belt for a new clip. Slotting the energy unit into the revolver, she then gave the weapon a click before resuming a full salvo of slow fire.

Weiss was having not much luck firing against a squad of agile Faunus insurgents. Her revolver was a slow shooting weapon that could only fire as fast as an old motor engine. How could it ever stand up against five fast-moving terrorists? Panic filled her pumped up heart, countering helplessly as the White Fang attackers were almost within striking distance.

They continued to charge forth, proving that Weiss' blaster and the guards' ion blasts were not doing any good against their manoeuvres. One of them shot their blasters and immediately knocked down one of her guards, slamming his back down on the ground with a blast mark on his chest.

"Reinz!" Heinrad shouted at the sight of seeing the fallen guard shot down. Weiss' heart was rushed with agony and fright over watching one of her own being downed by ravaging barbarians. Just seeing the soldier wounded in action and sprawling on the ground was as horrid as they came, giving her the first taste of what war was about to be for millions of other Remnant soldiers risking their lives to protect their homes.

The anger boiled up inside, enraging her with a thirst for payback, grabbing onto her Myrtenaster to swish it out of its holster. Aggravation was taking over her body with compassionate distaste to see the enemy gaining the upper hand. Standing defiantly against the enemy, she walked out of her cover with both her blaster and rapier armed and ready.

Seeing the four terrorists coming towards her, she fired her weapon with equal ferocity, aiming right at the enemy straight in her sights. Fear was no longer in her heart, the drive to rid the planet of these wretched scum replaced that fear. Her grip on her weapons tensed by the growing dissent in her soul to end the battle. No more was she going to lag back and let soldiers do all the fighting. A Senator in battle would be just as fearsome as any warrior, especially one trained with such grace and skill.

This was nothing like Weiss' spars with the training knight-like droids back home, in which the only endgame would be the simple announcement of her loss of her 'Aura' and a few bad cuts and bruises; not life-threatening but still painful to endear, even more so when taking in the loss. This time, there was no Aura count, there was no walking away with minor wounds and inflicted egos. This was a real battle. You lose, you die.

Even as Weiss and her guard ran up to face them, the White Fang grunts raged their blasters towards them, not once backing down to killing their hated enemy. Weiss did not fall back, either. Her training had kept her mind focused on predicting her enemy's movements, moving her body against the incoming blaster fire and almost flying through them. Her body simply skated through as if on thin ice. Years of focus-inducing training had allowed her to almost feel what the enemy was going to do, predictable aiming towards the target without ever considering where she would move next.

By the time she had passed through the barrage, she was able to swing her electric rapier at one of them. The blade sliced upwards, missing only within a few inches from his body. However, Weiss didn't have to score a direct hit. Her Myrtenaster's electric-powered blade sent a strong current that zapped right into the terrorist, with the force of a stun baton at full power. It was enough to send the attacker down, fidgeting with the voltage received by the powered blade.

After taking out the first grunt, Weiss shifted to the next. The enemy fired back, but she was able to use her blade to deflect the shots off from her. The bolts didn't bounce off like a Jedi's lightsaber, but rather, they were simply dispersed upon hitting the blade, absorbed by the blast-proof metal and protected more by the electric current that increased its protective value. He was simply no match for the elegant fighting style of a Schnee so eager to fight for her family, that she eventually bested the man without any difficulty. Another swish of her shocking slash and the terrorist was done, out of commission.

By the time of her second strike, Weiss' shock charge was over. The energy from her Dust clip had been depleted. At this time, she was again being shot at by the rest of the grunts.

Heinrad had come to join her, wielding his royal staff; a long, white metal pole with a forked-tip that produced an electric charge at the points, and backing Weiss up. His guards were behind cover, with one taking care of the other wounded. He charged forth at the two guards, who then pulled out their own bladed weapons. A two-on-one duel ensued, with the Faunus warriors flanking him from the sides.

The head guard demonstrated how proficient he was with a royal stun staff, spinning it around as a means to flush out his strength. The attackers watched carefully, waiting for the right moment to strike. Prowling around the man, they crept around, heading for his back. Heinrad did not move, only keeping his eyes at them and waiting to see if they would jump into the fray and try to stick their blades into him. All he had to do was stay put and hear these violent fools yell out their battle cries; a trait he tended to hear of from fellow guards in previous incursions.

Just as he assumed, the first thug yelled out as he jumped forward and attacked. Heinrad then swung his staff to his back, putting up a strong defence, standing very still and firm enough to block the attack. The blade of the White Fang warrior's sword hooked by the sharp forked tips of the staff, unable to break free from the tight hold. He then spun the staff with enough force to throw the warrior aside and continued to stand his ground against the other.

The second terrorist wielded his shorter dagger against the heavier guard, resulting to fast stabs and rapid swings. He was relying on juking out the guard and expose his weak spot for the moment to kill, also edging towards that one-in-a-million chance to reach that point. The quicker action forced Heinrad to depend on his agility, dodging the swipes and stabs, despite his cumbersome armour.

The grunt he had just tossed out was already on him, swinging his blade for a second run. Heinrad leapt back to let the attack pass him, twirling his staff wildly to knock away the dagger of the second attacker. With his foe disarmed, he tried to knock him off with the lunge of the staff's bottom tip, bashing the sphered bulb into the ground, missing his target as the terrorist flipped away from the attack. The seemingly unfair match went on, with the exchanges between brute force and iron-clad defence going unhinged.

Meanwhile, Weiss focused her fire on the grunt that was at the wall, firing her revolver intensively at him. She shot three rounds onto the platform, forcing the terrorist to run back towards the gate controls to regain his momentum.

Using this time, Weiss clicked on her rapier again, spinning the barrel in the frame to load up her next energy attack. The blade then flushed out mist around it, blanketing it with a hard-icy coat that sharpened and toughened the weapon. She figured that was all she needed to finish off who she believed, given that Heinrad could defeat his own enemies, was the last ravel to fall.

She caught sight of the ladder that would lead her to the top of the platform, bent on meeting with the scum up above and ending their terror, once and for all. Atop the grilled floor, she had her empowered rapier still in her hand, pointing to the ground as her revolver was fully loaded and ready. When she met up with the fiend, he was already standing out, body bent down for attack and, to Weiss' horror, a fully-charged vibroblade, shining brightly and prepared to cut right through her. The terrorist slashed his weapon in the air, showing Weiss that he was going to really bring the pain. Yet, Weiss remained unmoved, defiant in the face of danger.

"Do you expect me to surrender so easily?" snarled the White Fang member. Weiss couldn't see what kind of abomination was underneath the snow coat and mask of the attacker, but it was clear that he was just as cold as the winter around her, thirsty for blood.

"I'm not asking, pest! You **are** going to surrender." she scoffed at the White Fang ruffian's attempt at intimidation. A move that was followed by an equally cruel cry of anger.

"Your death will be swift!" After the crook yelled at her, he ran with his sword just racing to be slashed right into that pure skin and flesh of this despicable woman. Weiss stood at the ready, standing in her usual battle stance and letting the 'creature' try and strike her. When he ran, she parried the vibroblade with her own weapon, with one hand just behind the hilt and the fist that held Myrtenaster. She pushed her opponent off and proceeded to try and incapacitate the enemy by disarming him of his weapon.

She swished her rapier from the side, met by a parry from the grunt. She then tried again and slashed from the other side, again clashing her iced blade on the searing one of the enemy's sword. The heat of the vibroblade caused the thinner cold blade to sizzle, with ice being melted by its power. Both sides released, right before they engaged again, with Weiss maintaining her defence and letting the brute tire himself out. At one point, she was able to see the strength of her opponent waver and it left him vulnerable. She slashed her weapon at his back right when he missed his mark. The attack scratched his back armour and made him stumble to the edge, nearly falling down from the platform in the process.

Weiss then quickly took her chance and kicked the enemy down, causing him to drop to the ground. The snow was quite thick, helping him shield his fall and prevent damage. Weiss jumped down towards her enemy, landing just fine on the snow. Good thing she was wearing snow boots instead of her high heels. Such combat with those shoes would be a hindrance to her fighting style. As uncomfortable as her boots were, they were her best asset against the elements. The grunt painfully got up, slightly dizzy from his soft landing. He growled at the heiress, even more enraged and hungrier for blood.

"You Schnee have been endangering our kind for too long." he snarled.

"Says the terrorists who are so eager to murder my people." retorted Weiss, remembering how each of her family and friends were slaughtered, gunned down or blown up without mercy. How the organization would raid her father's company with brutal and deadly precision and leave nothing but death and destruction from every single raid. How she, herself, nearly lost her own life to one of their own, right there on that fateful night on Coruscant; an event that began her quest to combat their extremism for the better of the people of all Remnant.

"You know nothing about our suffering!" the murderous beast ran towards her again. Weiss wasn't the least convinced of a violent beast knowing anything about suffering.

Lies. All lies to discredit her family's reputation and find the justification for their heinous acts of violence. The White Fang had been doing exactly that for years without end. Over time, their so-called 'non-violent' protests had opened up to reveal their true intentions. Throughout their miserable existence, they had become nothing more than savage killers who wanted to rampage and slay anyone that gets in their way.

That was why Weiss was devoted to ending their mad campaign once and for all. It was her duty to fight the violence and fear these terrorists brought to her home and her family. She would not stop until her fight with the enemy was over. The Separatists, the White Fang, anyone who stood in the way of the Schnee family.

The two warriors clashed again, culminating in another flurry of sword hits and parries. The Faunus raged his saber against Weiss' rapier, with each swing being more violent than the last. She had to push in more of her strength to withstand each powerful blow, keeping her balance in check. The barbaric warrior's attacks kept her out of her calm on several turns, but she did her best to maintain her cool.

Heinrad was fighting off the minions at his end, still guarding himself with his staff. He knocked back each of the terrorists' strikes one by one before poking them at their stomachs or whacking their shoulders to force their grips on their weapons to release. After withstanding their attacks for so long, he was finally able to smack their weapons off their grips and used the blunt end of the staff to subdue his foes in two swift thrusts. The enemies were knocked out in an instant, leaving the head guard to focus his attention back towards the remaining White Fang warrior fighting Weiss.

The heiress was still under attack by the raging blade of the warrior, balancing herself within the overwhelming offense. Her icy blade was losing its power, slowly wavering away with the continuous strikes on it. Weiss herself was also weakening as the terrorist struck harder and harder. She needed to break free from the chain of attacks and score another hit to end the struggle.

Not long after, the terrorist soon raised his sword upwards for a heavy strike. Weiss saw it; a second of opportunity! She acted fast enough to catch him off guard before he would get the chance to do her in. At that moment, she managed to roll away from the attack, just as the enemy struck down at the snowy ground. Upon getting up, she then tried to swipe a good one, slashing the attacker from the back. However, he was apparently able to pick up her tracks and responded well to her move. The Faunus swung his arm back, allowing his sword to flexibly block her own. With a single swipe off, he then resumed his offensive barrage, putting Weiss back to square one of the fight.

Slash after slash, Weiss was already precious strength to defend herself, fearing a stumble in her stance. She had never been one to let herself go when faced with the pressures of danger, in personal business or otherwise. She had been told never to lose or surrender. Either you fight your problems or let them pull you down to failure, a Schnee never falters in the face of adversity at any rate.

Now, Weiss had had enough of her tormenting position as the defenceless one in the brawl. Pushed by the will of her family name, she performed a risky technique, one that she had struggled to master ever since she first tried it back home. In pure desperation, she let the enemy attack her on and on, forcing her strength to wait for that rightful moment to perform her move.

When the terrorist tried to lunge his weapon towards her, that was the signal she needed. At once, she let the blade pass through her face, just missing her right cheek and her Myrtenaster to stop it from going further. Locking the weapon into place, she then went for the trick. With the twist of her arm, she twirled it along, bringing the enemy's blade with it before giving one strong flick to throw it off his hand.

Successful with her trick, she then instantly immobilized her foe by giving his face a powerful hit from the butt of her hilt before finally slicing his arm down. The force of the slash caused a sheer amount of pain to the terrorist, but the icy powers of the weapon also did a number by freezing the nerves in his body, numbing them and causing him to fall down to ground.

Weiss panted from her attempt at impairing her opponent, finally saved from the endless torrent of blade slashes and strikes upon her thin blade. She could feel her body come close to exhausting itself out, but the need to sweat was hampered by the ongoing cold of the snow. Nevertheless, she kept herself at top shape, unwavering to the last. She walked over to meet her fallen enemy, seeing him crawl helplessly and suffering from the cold that came from both her weapon and the blizzardy breeze.

The grunt looked up to see that seemingly meek little girl look down upon him with the gaze of an ice creature ready to sink its teeth into his miserable body. Like any other stubborn fighter, he growled in anger that his target was able to best him in combat.

"How is it possible?" he uttered with vibrating dread. When she saw Heinrad come over with his staff, Weiss drew her blade back into her holster, huffing at the pitiful state of her foe.

"Next time, do not underestimate me." she reminded, believing that there wouldn't be a 'next time'.

"Milady." Heinrad called. "We have to get these thugs into the detention facility and…"

 **BWARMM!**

 **BOOM!**

The two were interrupted when an explosion blew up right behind them, throwing them off their feet and onto the ground. Looking up at the gate, Heinrad saw what had fired that heavy blast that knocked them down. He shivered upon witnessing what he saw; not from the cold, but from sheer fright over the overwhelming presence of an unlikely hindrance.

Instinctively, he ran towards Weiss and helped her up, running towards cover behind the walls of the outpost, right next to the gate. They both slammed back at the wall amidst the sheer chaos, just before another blast was fired towards the outpost. The shot blew up at a small part hunk of the outpost, not doing much damage. When Heinrad saw his guards still crouching at their cover in front of the base, he gave one strong yell out to them.

"Get back! It's an armoured vehicle!" The uninjured guard immediately got to work and carried his partner to safety, doing his best not to get shot by the incoming danger that was a Weta armoured vehicle.

The bulky vehicle emerged right past the entrance, just inches from where Weiss and Heinrad hid. It rolled on its six thick wheels, with its slender hull shining within the blistering winds. Its dual laser cannon, with its barrels stuck right at the sides of the turret, fired up another round at the base, ignoring the two fleeing guards as they headed for a safer place to hide.

Weiss stared right into the horrid scene of one of Atlas' own attack vehicles firing upon the base. That was it, she thought. That was why the initial attack had to happen. That was why the first wave of warriors was soon keen on opening up the gate, even as they blew up a hole on the wall. It was their plan to bring in brute force, passing straight through and blasting out all that stood in their way.

Weiss shuddered in disbelief as she saw the wheeled tank-like vehicle roll into the scene, puzzled by how could a bunch of degenerates ever had the chance to seize a properly constructed Atlas military vehicle and drive it into the base so easily.

Now, the threat was far too real. The emergency situation escalated to full chaos. The White Fang had a fully armoured vehicle in their arsenal and it was putting the soldiers at the base in their place. The outpost sentries all retreated into the base, just as the cannons fired again.

Heinrad was pressured to evacuate Weiss to get her to safety, but that was when he had an idea. He looked at his belt to find something that was effective enough to get the job done. In his hand, his weapon of choice for matters like this. A thermal detonator.

All he had to do was to finish off any personnel that was inside the vehicle by quietly opening up the hatch with his staff and stunning the crew with his stun blaster. He didn't have time to think of ways to extract the trespassers without fatal harm to himself. His people were under attack. His Senator was under attack.

Rushing forward, he swung his staff and held the bomb tightly in his hand.

"Captain! Get back here!" Weiss shouted. Her yell sounding off like rebuking, baffled that he was going for the attack than protecting her. As flabbergasted as she was, Heinrad didn't have time to sit around and stay by her side **all** the time. There had to be a threat to remove to save her life, and he was going to do it, no matter what would happen.

At once, right after the vehicle fired again, Heinrad leapt up, stabbing into the rim between the back wheel and the vehicle's main body. Then, he vaulted himself up onto its top and landed carefully. His landing was precisely timed, just as the vehicle fired again, letting the rumbling noise of the cannons shield the sounds of his feet onto the metal surface that would have alerted the crew inside of his arrival.

Sneaking above the vehicle, Heinrad made it for the top hatch, where he would stick his staff into the line between the door and the frame, and force it open. The only problem was that the hatch was right in front of the cannon. He calculated how much time it would take for his staff to open up the hatch, having opened many tougher doors before his time as Weiss' personal elite guard.

Luckily, while he was standing on the vehicle, it then turned directions, steering to the left. The sudden move nearly dropped the guard off his feet, only to be saved by his staff as it helped him balance against the momentum. The change in movement allowed the turret to rotate back towards the base to resume firing. Afterwards, Heinrad had the chance, creeping towards the hatch, sneaking behind the turret as the cannons fired again.

On top of the hatch, Heinrad prepared to strike the hatch open. His arms were raised up before swinging down the weapon and sticking it in to lodge the door open. The guard heaved and hoed, pulling down the staff like a lever, struggling to get the hatch forced open, but it was stubborner than a lazy Hutt. A minute was spent on trying to open up this hatch, and already, the outpost was starting to take some real damage.

Finally, after the hefty fight to open up the hatch, Heinrad got it to burst right up. Immediately, the guard pulled out his blaster pistol to shoot down the crew inside. He aimed his weapon into the hole, about to pull the trigger and immobilize the people inside, once and for all.

Inside, he could see the White Fang pilot, manning the controls to the vehicle. Once Heinrad opened the hatch, he quickly caught on with the attempt and looked to find the guard, staring right into his eyes and jolted into action. Heinrad quickly aimed his gun at the hijacker, but the terrorist responded quickly. With rapid reflexes, the terrorist jumped out of his seat and tackled him; the lack of a seat belt buckling him in giving him a head start at escaping his aim.

The force of the tackle had dropped Heinrad on his back, dropping his gun to the ground below. He and the pilot engaged in a hand-to-hand brawl, the guard pushing up against the terrorist's own hold on him. He then kicked the Faunus off of him, flipping back up to regain lost ground. Both combatants then locked each other in another melee fight, swinging their fists and kicking their legs against each other. Heinrad still relied on his defensive fighting style to hold out against the faster and wilder strikes of the White Fang.

Ultimately, the fight had to end. Heinrad reached for his staff behind his back to stand a better chance against the enemy. But just as he was about to grab the weapon, the White Fang terrorist drew his weapon; a blaster pistol, and fired a shot, hitting Heinrad at the chest. The man felt the blast burst against his right shoulder as the shot seared right through his armour and brought him down.

"Heinrad!" Weiss screamed upon seeing her elite guard shot down by the White Fang terrorist. Seeing the man trusted with her protection fall from the vehicle in utter pain left her devastated, even forgetting the formalities to call him by his name, not the title he was entrusted with. To her, there was no time for honorifics. One of her own had been attacked and she was going to deal with the threat herself.

Without second thoughts, she ran towards the vehicle, taking out her revolver and fired at the pilot. One shot, one hit. The terrorist fell to the ground, hurt by the hit to the leg. The threat was slightly eliminated, but Weiss took the time to check on her fallen guard. Heinrad laid on the soft snow, massaging the area of the shoulder where he was shot at. He tensed up in pain, looking at the Senator with pained eyes and strained muscles, barely able to voice out his assurance to the Senator.

"It's okay, milady." he groaned. "I'm fine." While she was tending to her guard, her concentration was then shattered by the ear-piercing blast sounds of the armoured vehicle shooting at the base. At any moment, the base would be exposed and whoever was left of the White Fang would enter the outpost and free their brethren. Worse still, they would also gain access to the outpost's control units and leave Atlas vulnerable to any outer threats from within the sector. Everyone there was in danger of the White Fang, the last thing they needed when they were already at war against a larger force out there.

She didn't stall any longer. Weiss looked towards the combat vehicle, remembering that, based on her brief military studies, the vehicle would only be manned by two more crew members. She took the stun pistol from Heinrad before rushing towards the vehicle's top.

"Wait!" Heinrad forced himself to shout, alarmed when seeing Weiss recklessly charge up the vehicle. His cries went unheard as she climbed up the assault craft on her own. With no trouble at all, she managed to go around the cannon and headed for the hatch. Her anger towards the enemy had given her no reason to stop, instantly going through the hole to take out the members inside the vehicle.

As soon as Weiss entered, Heinrad could not do anything to stop her. His injury kept him down on the ground and forcing him to struggle through the pain. The vehicle fired a couple more shots at the outpost. And then, seconds later, the guns stopped. The vehicle was still operational, but the guns were silenced. Heinrad continued to hope that something good came out of the sudden inactivity.

Surely enough, when he looked up, he saw someone come out of the hatch. He prepared for the worst, standing by to defend himself however he could. From the hatch, the person came out of the vehicle to determine the fate of the skirmish.

Heinrad smiled in relief. It was Weiss. The heiress had come out unscathed, meaning that she was able to defuse the situation with ease. As she exited, she jumped down and went over to meet Heinrad. Handing him back his blaster, she then decided to do something she would only do to those she could really trust. She took Heinrad's arm over her back and helped him towards the bunker.

Taking Heinrad to safety, she could see the damage done to the base. Apparently, there was practically nothing that had been inflicted. Only a few visible scratches on the metal walls. Other than that, everything looked fine. She scoffed, knowing that the attempt to attack the base seemed to be futile, like a desperate attempt to cause some damage without any foresight over what might happen next. Although, if the five warriors during the first wave had beaten them, then perhaps their little assault could have been more successful. She then laid her eyes on some of the fallen men they had defeated. All of them were stunned or beaten down to a pulp, but otherwise, they all lived, just in time to be detained.

Weiss breathed in, feeling her body slowly weaken after taking out her enemies. She felt a small sense of pride and determination in her heart over her victory against not one, but several White Fang grunts, without ever a single fall. She had proven that she was able to hold her own against enemies that could have easily taken anyone's life, just as she almost lost hers to that assassin on Coruscant.

With this victory, her doubts about displeasing her father were gone. Her pride took over, sure that she was guaranteed to have pleased him over what she had been through. Now, he could give her a lot more responsibility and credit for being the frontal leader of the political battlefield.

"Sir." The lone guard that remained unhurt by the attack, ran out to see to his commanding officer, taking over for Weiss and supporting the captain on his own back.

"I'm fine, soldier." said Heinrad, slightly disorientated and stinging from his wound. Weiss then saw two more soldiers running towards the scene, standing in front of her.

"Make sure the scum is sent to the detention cell for questioning." ordered the Senator.

"Yes, Miss Schnee." After saluting to her, the soldiers ran towards the fallen enemies, picking them up and forcing them to move towards the very outpost they tried to destroy.

"Inform General Reinhart to send us a home defence force to hunt down these terrorists." Weiss said to another soldier. "A Weta armoured vehicle and a troop transport will suffice." The soldier complied, heading over to contact the reinforcements needed to pursue wherever the White Fang was hiding.

Weiss would have to wait for the recovery of her elite guards before she would return home, but she was sure that her father would be too proud of her to care. She was certain that he would be elated by his daughter's ability to handle her own problems. If he should ever call her to show his amazement over her skills, she would be given a higher status of power and reputation that could allow her to stand out as the right woman to help the people of Solitas.

Oh, she could imagine the look on her father's face now…

* * *

"Father."

"Weiss Schnee!" Dreams and desires were often so shattered when reality sunk in. Instead of the glorified face of cheers from her father, Weiss was met with a face of a strict Jacque Schnee. He wasn't commenting on her stand against the White Fang. She was being rebuked. "I thought I told you to head for Coruscant and present our plans to the Senate! Not to interfere with Atlas' military tasks!" His voice was as rough and empowered with impatience, intolerant with failure, in which the daughter didn't even know she had. "Why are you not on course?!"

Defensive over her actions, Weiss tried to justify her need to act, knowing that if her father cared for the people of Solitas, he would be understanding towards her involvement with the White Fang.

"F-father! I was merely doing what I should be doing! Defending the people's interests in our planet."

"The people's interests depend on our relations with the Republic." Jacque fired back. Weiss grew even more distraught over how unconvinced he was. He continued to press the points against her, enunciating with consistent force. "You were to be punctual. You were to be present at the Senate at this stage. And you could have given the Supreme Chancellor the plans for our war effort. And what have I found you doing?!"

"And if I don't do anything to stop the White Fang here, then…!"

"Enough!" Yet, the angry father refused to listen. He yelled back, silencing Weiss as she retreated her head back to the soft headrest of her sofa, inside within the safety of her yacht. She had felt the full wrath of her father's distaste for disobedience, despite the nobility of her intentions. Never before had he been this unaccepting towards her lack of proper following in his plans or orders.

She could see his holographic form on her communications table, rubbing his forehead from the frustration over how resilient his daughter was. Still shaken by his sudden disapproval, Weiss felt the shame shoot through her body. Regret was already building up from disobeying her father's orders. She was so sure that her endeavours would help her become a more trusted leader for the people. Unfortunately, she was told on like she had been convicted for a war crime. The feeling of failure and scorn from her own father was downright upsetting.

When Jacque looked at her with those commanding eyes, she did her best to suppress her sorrowful face.

"Get yourself back to the city and don't you think about ever leaving the walls of Atlas without my knowing. To Coruscant, you will go. Don't make me repeat myself."

The transmission ended, the figure of Jacque flickering off and leaving behind a sour note for Weiss. After he disappeared, she slacked back onto her seat, distressed by the aftermath of her father's scolding. She felt like a mess after what she had been thrown at by Jacque, feeling regret almost instantly the moment he raised his voice. It could have gone so well, but everything fell flat on her face in the end. The chance for glory had been tarnished by her lack of insight into what her father wanted of her.

She was to stay away from dangerous situations; that was her prime order. Weiss felt that her father had simply cared for her that much, not willing to lose one of his daughters in the chaos of war. Her place was elsewhere, within the Senatorial chambers of Coruscant.

Wondering to herself if she had done the right thing, Weiss walked out of her ship and back out into the open snowy grounds of the outpost. She felt that she had put not only herself in danger, but her guards as well. She shouldn't have brought themselves at such risks, if they were going to get hurt from a possible encounter. Now, two of them were injured, unable to properly perform their tasks to protect her. It all felt like one big mistake for Weiss to have disobeyed her father's orders.

Quietly, she inched closer to the base, with the signs of battle almost completely covered by the ongoing snowstorm. On her way there, she thought to herself on what she was going to say to Heinrad, now that she got him in this situation. He was recovering inside the base, tended to at the infirmary with his two guards. Weiss couldn't bear to think about addressing her failure to her own protectors, ashamed over her errors in ensuring their safety.

She had to consider what she was really doing for the people, wondering if she was even allowed to participate in such dastardly campaigns and violent battles. Somehow, deep inside her heart, she felt the guilt racing across her body.

Suddenly, stopping in her tracks, her mind shifted again. She shook her head, stopping herself from thinking all of these negative perceptions and thought about the more positive outcomes of her involvement. There was still that sense of justice that held some truth in her actions.

Then, she looked all over the base, seeing the destruction the terrorists had inflicted. There was the blasted hole on the wall The empty control room where the officer was brutally murdered. The stack of crates where one of her guards was shot down. But most of all, she felt her face, stroking the one thing that reminded her of the dangers posed against her.

The scar she was given was not something to pull her down. It was something to remind her that action must be taken against those who would harm her and her people, no matter how dangerous the threat was.

After rethinking about her experiences, she felt, yeah, perhaps there was some good coming out of her involvement. Had she had not known of an attack, if it not for her judgement and swiftness in her fight, then the base would have fallen. She had almost everything handled with perfection, helping out when they needed her the most.

What was it that her father used to tell her? A Schnee must never accept defeat. So whether they liked it or not, she was stuck in this perpetual loop of unfinished business that could only be broken by fully declaring victory against those who threatened her and those around her.

Orders or not, she had to fulfil the need to eradicate her foes and see to that Solitas emerged victorious in conflict. And that would all start at the hideout of the White Fang. They were still out there, and as long as that hideout stood, people were in danger of being attacked by the organization. If she could find the evidence of the bigger threat of the White Fang herself, then she could use that knowledge as an asset to her cause in the Senate.

No longer ashamed, she was going to something that she didn't think she would dare to do, ever in her life. She was going to disobey a direct order from her father… **deliberately**. No hesitation to turn back and obey his command. Just straight to going down the path he would highly relent again. Only if it would eventually benefit him and his endeavours, of course.

She knew that when she would tell Heinrad of her plans, he would be most baffled by her desire for her new mission, stating that the White Fang would not show any mercy and would be hell-bent on killing her.

She was counting on it…

* * *

Disclosed Location,

 _Bergoth' den Kaltor Todaren_ ,

Solitas,

Remnant System,

 _Several hours later_

Taking the answers from the prisoners of the first attack was no easy task, being extremists and all. Each and every one displayed courage from hearts of cold, relenting against any questions and threats thrown at them, fighting back with taunts and hisses. It didn't seem they would ever confess to Weiss or her guards.

That is; until one of them finally broke when the interrogation began. The intimidating presence of her guards had eventually forced him to spill the beans and reveal the location of the hideout, earning him no reward than solitary in the slammer.

With the information she needed, Weiss was able to pinpoint the White Fang's hideout to an abandoned mine just a few kilometres away from Outpost Kodiak, several metres down the mountain. Out there, the mine was located in a circular valley, built within a cliff wall where its previous occupants extracted plentiful amounts of aurrakian crystals that became the main source of power within Solitian and, thus, Remnant society. Since then, the mine had been depleted of its resources and was now left to be used for any shadowy force. It only seemed natural that the White Fang would find shelter and set up a base of operations within the deep, dark caverns that had been dug up by the miners before.

Dusk covered the snowy mountains in grim darkness, as if it wasn't terrible for sightseeing already. The blizzards, however, kept blowing hardly, gushing the snow-filled summits with all of its freezing force. Still, down in the valley, the heat of battle was about to rage.

Weiss was seated within the safety of a small hull of an armoured Weta transport; the same one she had specifically ordered for his operation. She didn't really find the interior to be that swell, since she had to join the room with several other stronger and sweatier men and women, armed for combat against an enemy she had fought hard against. Not even the white light brightening up the chamber could offer her much comfort.

She reloaded her rapier, preparing another charge of Dust within the frame. Her pistol was already loaded and kept within her holster.

She hoped that she would have enough time to finish the mission and return to Atlas to avoid another scolding from her father. After all, with the conditions in the mountains too extreme for a proper return, Weiss would be given all the time to take part in this assault. She'd have to explain her actions to her father, for anyone participating in this attack would notify him the moment the fight was over. With any luck, he'd change his mind and finally see her as a more competent leader. Otherwise, she'd have to suffer the consequences through his wrath again.

In the end, though, Weiss didn't care. All that mattered was that her people could be safe from whatever threat the White Fang posed. For better or worse, this was to remind them that as long as she was there to solve her planet's problems, no one in their hideous existence was safe.

"Red light!" The interior of the hull was then lit with the alarming red light, bringing everyone to full attention of the situation ahead. "Stand ready!" The pilot at the front signalled the men and women, leaving Weiss to follow their actions in preparation for the big assault. She grabbed hold of the overhead straps that held her in place, bracing herself from the rocky and bumpy ride towards her destination. The force of the vehicle bouncing up and down in slow, sloppy motion against the snowy ground.

A single breath of cold air from Weiss' mouth created a cloud of mist that faded away in a few seconds from the prolonging weather outside. Still, she did her best not to shiver, burning bright with justice and a sense of duty that fuelled her might. Whatever force was about to stand against her, she was going to fight for the glory of her planet.

"Units! Engage enemy now!" At last, the beginning salvos of the operation were fired, as communications by the pilot signalled the other attack vehicles outside let loose their weapon fire upon the enemy. Weiss could hear the rumbling booms of her vehicle's autocannons sounding off with each half of a second, followed by the same sounds from corresponding carriers from outside. The force of the shots resonated within the hold, rocking the vehicle back and forth. The beginning sounds of battle made Weiss feel a growing sense of suspense in her body, with the tight space around her adding to the tension. The enemy would retaliate with all the ferocity they had, bringing whatever arsenal they could muster. She didn't know what to expect; at any moment, they could fire a missile straight towards her, putting her crusade for justice to an end. Her death would send a shockwave throughout the people of Solitas, one that could cripple morale and more importantly, her family as a whole.

Regardless of how she felt, she already signed up for this mission. This was to be her finest moment yet. A chance to further prove that she was more than just some political figure meant to sit idly by and discussing matters with other Senators. She was a member of the Schnee family; heiress to the most powerful corporation in the galaxy. A military victory in the hands of a single Schnee would assert their dominion among the veterans of war.

A single strike and a following decisive victory against the White Fang would send a tremor throughout their radical existence. As the cannons bombarded their positions, the troops and Weiss were prepared to hop down and run against the enemy.

"Milady." Weiss was called by an anonymous soldier, standing just behind her. She looked behind to see the stoic expression on his face, as if unsure of what he was going to go through. "Permission to speak freely."

"Speak your mind, soldier." Weiss agreed to let him speak.

"Are you sure you're up to this?" Weiss would be quite disappointed at the soldier's lack of faith in her abilities. But to be frank, everyone around would share his opinion, questioning why a Senator would risk her own life to participate in a full-on military operation. All she did was turn back and drew out her rapier, not paying attention to the stricken look on the soldier's face when she displayed her weapon.

"Just keep yourselves towards the objective and cover me." she asserted enough power into her voice to keep the soldier at bay. "I will get to the bottom of this scheme." Indeed, she would take herself right into the centre of it all and thwart this madness, once and for all.

Despite her insistence to pursue her enemy to the very source, she felt a bit of nervousness in her heart, knowing that, when she would enter the lair of the beasts, there was going to be all sorts of peril and trouble, waiting to finally slice her, maim her, burn her, whatever terrible fate was chosen for her.

For now, the first stages of the assault were already underway, as the enemy fired back against the invading forces. The transports were immediately pelted with blaster fire that merely bounced off the shots from their durable armour. But their fears were true when the rockets began firing against them. Immediately, a single missile had struck down a Weta transport, sending it ablaze and rolled forward into a flaming wreck.

Weiss could hear the explosion from outside, already tensed by the roaring noise of the burning vehicle, though she only confirmed it when the pilot was alerted to the casualties.

"We lost a transport!" The heiress cursed, groaning over the fact that they already wiped out a large portion of the attack force. Dozens of soldiers in one vehicle, scorched to the ground without mercy. The bloody deaths of those souls aggravated the Senator on board the other vehicle. They possessed weapons that could obliterate a well-built armoured vehicle within seconds and were already about to fire upon the rest of the force. She tightened her grip on her weapon, hoping that her men and women could weaken them enough to avoid more instant casualties.

Just a few minutes upon the trek towards the abandoned mine, just below the hills as the transports rolled them down, spearheading into the enemy fire. The cannons kept firing back with equal ferocity, doing all they could to keep the heavy weapons at bay while they raced to the site.

Finally, after dreadful moments of braving against the White Fang, Weiss was given the announcement that the transports were already within range of the enemy base. Her vehicle skidded along the snowy ground, coming to a slow stop. Even as the cannons still fired away, Weiss turned around with her troops, waiting for the red light to turn green and the doors would open up for them to get into the action.

After seconds, the light went green, signalling their time to move out. And when the doors started to open, the troops were all suited up for battle. Weiss could feel their stances shift instantly for combat, their bodies bent forward to prepare and run.

"Go! Go! Go!" At once, Weiss and the troops ran out the transport, rushing right into the fray. Their carbines at the ready, they sprinted forward, with Weiss at the centre of the formation, squeezing her in to be protected from the incoming blaster fire that ensued.

Weiss could see the damage done by the armoured vehicles. Flames were burning throughout the front entrance. Rusty pipes and fuel containers already ruptured from the first volleys of the attack force, now left burning brightly. Underneath the shelters, barricades were broken apart, with heavy mounted blaster cannons knocked off their supports. A few bodies were seen lying across the area, with many other White Fang grunts still taking cover within the deeper areas of the inside.

The firefight was already heating up, with Weiss' forces opening fire upon the sheltered defenders. The soldiers immediately began running for cover, clearing the front while a handful of the force stayed behind to cover the Senator as they advanced.

The line of guards protecting Weiss formed a wall with their combat shields. They crouched down to maximize their defensive strength, forcing the heiress to do the same while using her revolver to counter the enemy fire. The constant firing upon the shields knocked the guards back, clanking off the metal protection like pebbles against a glass window. At any moment, they would have to break formation and give the Senator the chance to make it through. Despite their hesitation to even allow Weiss to enter the hideout, they followed their orders as they were told to do. They would assume that the very man who was in charge of their jobs would approve of having her lead the charge, without realizing that she had been rebuked just hours ago by that very man.

The Senator stayed close behind her men, inching closely towards the mine. She resisted her urge to move forward without her troopers and kept herself from being shot down by her foes. Slowly, the attack was bearing fruit, with the White Fang retreating much deeper into the base and more Atlesian soldiers exiting the other transports and sprinting to pursue their enemy. They continued to spray their energy shots into the shadowy interiors of the exposed mining facility, giving the signal for Weiss and her protectors to break their lines and follow along. The rats had scurried into their burrow as the wolves of the Atlesian military chased after them, letting loose their fangs and claws for the feast.

The troops ran their way into the empty mining shaft, disappearing into the shadows to engage the rest of the White Fang and hunt them down. Though the recommended course of action would be to take prisoners when able, there was no going lightly against these terrorists. If they had to be shot down and left for dead, so be it. They were all a threat individually, and thus shall be dealt with to their individual fates. Already, several of the White Fang grunts had been killed by the assault. Though, they were not without inflicting casualties on the Atlesians either, for every three White Fang killed, an Atlesian soldier had fallen alongside them. And it was only going to get worse from here…

Weiss had been escorted into the dusty interior, frozen over from the long winters since its abandonment. The White Fang clearly used this state of dilapidation to hide their base of operations, further masked by the blizzards against any long-range sensors.

The fighting continued down into the very tunnels of the mine, where only red lights glowed. The men fought carefully, watching every corner they could come across. Everywhere they went, hiding at the tightest of openings, the White Fang were able to pick off the soldiers, one by one, inflicting casualties before they would be taken out themselves.

The shield squad protecting Weiss were still guarding the Senator down the chasms and walkaways, taking her further down into the realm of the hideout. Into one of the tunnels, they circled her into the tight space, blasters at the ready. They made sure to be well behind the frontal assault squads, so that they could clear the way. However, Weiss made sure to have a few more men behind her just in case.

They kept moving slowly towards the source of the White Fang's operations, without being attacked by any of the terrorists. Weiss was sure that the men and women up front had done their job to remove any threats in their way. Now, it was only a matter of time before they could find what they needed to see. Closer and closer, they kept going towards their destination without harm. Weiss kept her weapons checked and ready, waiting for any signs of trouble.

"Look out!" Suddenly, one of the rear men shouted out, alerted by the presence of two more White Fang grunts, ambushing them from behind. Everyone flinched and turned around to face the two attackers. The two rat Faunus were engaging the defenders, jumping around within the tunnels as if they were the same natural underground tunnels of real scurriers.

The hurried shifting movements of the Faunus warriors were too quick for the defenders to get their shots into their hides. All the while, the attackers fired their shotguns at the men, trying to break their shields away from them. Shot after shot, until finally, one of the men lost his grip, knocking his shield off and left him vulnerable to one more blast.

"Man down!" The shotgun blast felled the man, leaving an open gap in the defensive ring around Weiss. Realizing the opening, the Senator reacted rashly, rushing over to face the terrorists herself. The men tried to stop her, but she was already arming her rapier and running towards the White Fang attackers.

The two terrorists swung their blades out and charged towards the heiress. Coming into contact with her, they slashed with vivid rage, bent on killing one of their most hated enemies. The strikes against her were random, swift and almost uncoordinated, not in sync, which made them both unpredictable to Weiss. However, their unsynchronized attacks were also their own liability. She made use of the tight space of the tunnel to push against them, forcing their random attacks to hinder their speed and precision.

Then, when one of the attackers tried to slash his weapon at her, Weiss dodged the attempt and the sword hit the wall of the tunnel. With his back exposed, she then proceeded to elbow him to submission before delivering one swiping kick to the head, knocking him unconscious. The second terrorist backed away after seeing his teammate out of the action. Weiss did not let the fiend escape, already having her weapon at its ice blade mode and slashing it at the terrorist.

The grunt dodged the attack, ducking just beneath the blade and barely feeling its freezing chill. But before he could recover, Weiss already grabbed her blaster and fired one shot at him. The shot hit the warrior on the leg, dropping him down in total pain. When the thug fell, Weiss quickly ordered one of her men to apprehend him and his other comrade, willing to take as many prisoners as she could for more information on other related activity.

"Get them out of here." Three of the soldiers ran towards the fallen grunts, forcing them up and led outside where they would be shipped back to base. Weiss brushed the sides of her hair, huffing with pride over her victory against the terrorists. The injured soldier that was felled by the two warriors was then lifted up with two more men, leaving Weiss with only a quarter of the force she had with her. One of the soldiers then ran up to her, reporting of what needed to be done next.

"Milady, there's simply not enough of us to protect you now. The rest of the assault force has moved on too far into the base. We should retreat." But even with the soldier's sincere request, Weiss did not abide to his demands.

"No." she retorted. "I will go on alone." The soldier almost gasped at her refusal, insisting that she'd follow through with the suggestion to withdraw.

"But, milady…" He wouldn't get that chance. Weiss was just too keen on ending her mission.

"Go." she hushed the man with a strict gaze. "I will find the source of the White Fang's operations myself." Again, the cross stare of a Schnee, added with the family's power and authority over those loyal to them, bent the soldier's sense of safety and security for the Senator. No one was foolish to question their orders twice. He knew he had no use fighting against Weiss in the matter. All he had to hope for was that she remained safe enough for him to keep his job.

After the unsatisfying encounter, Weiss pushed forward, venturing out on her own against the horde of White Fang soldiers still in the base. With any luck, the assault force was not too far off. Either way, she was going to find that source of the organization's schemes herself, and no one, not even her own men, would stop her.

* * *

Eventually, Weiss had covered through the tunnels and open spaces of the facility, managing to meet up with her men all the way to where she believed was the place of her destination; the mine's central control station. She had the squad of troopers stationed outside to cover her entry into the room, right after they cleared of all White Fang hooligans operating in there.

She was now on her own, walking towards the central computer console to learn more of the plans for the organization's endgame. She reached for the command console and started work on tapping through the mine's databanks for whatever information she could find that could be linked to the White Fang. Despite her limited skillset when it came to computers, she knew enough to access through an outdated computer like the one she was using.

Through the computer, she sieved through the numerous files stored within that rusty old computer, running through mining and engineering reports, through storage data and old security feeds. She kept searching for that one file or folder that could contain valuable information on the White Fang and their activities. Finally, after much searching, she finally found what she believed was the data she needed. There was a data folder with an odd identification name.

 **'Operation: Atlas Meltdown'.**

She smirked pitifully, immediately knowing that it was an allegoric name. I mean, come on, she thought. Atlas. Meltdown. It was too big a coincidence, not sounding like anything to do with mining. Maybe it was indeed a codename of a former mining operation here. Either way, she had to check it out. Surely enough, after accessing the folder, she could see what was inside, confirming that it was a collection of files linked to the White Fang. After some more digging, she began to unravel more of what they had in store for Atlas.

Eventually, the ultimate goals of the White Fang were right there, amongst the other dangerous secrets of their power.

From the control console, she saw the whole deal of the White Fang's operations. In front of her, projected clearly in front of her own eyes, there she found out about their plans. On the green screen, the hollow images of what appeared to be missile warheads, backed up by smaller texts of details. At the bottom of the screen, she could see the thin white line, digitally linked from the missiles to a screenshot of the mining facility. From the text she read, it was already clear what could have happened.

"Missiles towards the capital city." confirmed the Senator, angered by what the White Fang was plotting to do. "Inconceivable monsters." Alerted by the grand plot, Weiss was about ready to send one of her men to get the information back to base, transferring everything she needed into her code cylinder.

"Huh?!" All of a sudden, she felt a massive force wrapping around her in a tight squeeze. Two great arms had trapped her and she found herself being lifted up by someone with a strong body, mouth covered by a filthy hand, so she couldn't call for help. She tried to shake off from her attacker, but she was soon being carried away by force. The man soon took her to a door opposite the front entrance, heading for a transit tunnel.

Weiss was then thrown from the flight of stairs and onto the ground, nearly crashing her head into the metal line that was the railway track that was built straight into the mine. She winced in pain, while also wriggling in disgust over the wretched way she was being hoisted away from her troopers. When she rose up, she found her attacker up on the platform behind her.

It was another White Fang brute, larger than most of the other more agile members she fought before. She could not see anything that passed for Faunus on the brute, with his armour covering up wherever a Faunus' unique body features would show. He wore a white genuine Mandalorian helmet with blood red trails smearing down like a bolt of lightning from the eye holes; a sign of high ranking that some of the best of the White Fang bore. Behind his back, a large chainsaw weapon, basically a portable generator completely modified to fit the deadly saw of an ancient war droid at the end.

His hulky body slowly stomped down to meet the Senator, cracking his knuckles up and flexing his tattooed left arm, prepared to do her in.

"What do you think you're doing, pretty lady?" he growled with spite. "The heiress of the dreaded Schnee. Here to sabotage our major operations? I'll give you credit; you've got a lot of guts coming in here." The smock attitude of the White Fang lieutenant did not deter the heiress. If anything, coupled by the almost atrocious embrace behind her back, she was livid. Myrtenaster was already slid out of her holster, prompting the brute to take out his weapon and activated it, the ragged blades ripping up for action. The constant screeching of the saws did spook Weiss a little, but she was not going to back down from a challenge, no matter how dangerous.

"If you really wish to fight me, then so be it." The deadly confrontation came underway, two different people fighting against each other, slender grace and swift agility against brute force and lethal power. Weiss' thin rapier against the lieutenant barbaric chainsaw.

Regardless of the odds in terms of power, Weiss stood firm as the lieutenant charged with his barbaric weapon swung upwards. She rolled away from the very slow but gruesome attack, forcing the lieutenant to crash his chainsaw onto the ground as the spinning blade clanged repeatedly onto the rocky ground. She then tried to stab him, but the lieutenant quickly recovered, swinging his weapon to swipe her rapier blade away.

Weiss held her weapon as tightly as she could, after being knocked back by the brutish chainsaw. She then resumed her attack, going for another run at the man with her rapid swipes. As she fought, she looked for any possible opening that came from the slow and heavy movement of the lieutenant's arms.

She tried to kick the man on the head by skipping up and swiping her leg towards the helmeted face. The hit was successful, causing him to recoil back. After landing on the ground, her teeth gritted from how hard it was to hit a metal helmet almost as durable as that of a Mandalorian one.

The brute growled with annoyance, showing that the only thing that Weiss had done was provoking him, not being in any pain at all. He swung his blade towards Weiss again, this time, being faster and more agile than his first strike, as if now realizing that this heiress was no pushover. The duel began to become even more intense, with the weapons being swung at stronger and faster as both combatants paced back and forth across the railway.

Weiss then went for an undershot, slashing at the legs. The lieutenant simply bounced up and rammed his chainsaw towards her, only to miss due to Weiss dodging the blow and rolling away. To gain an advantage, Weiss then hopped on top of a leftover tram somewhere in the middle of the railway, having that fabled height advantage many warriors thought would be so grand against grounded opponents.

The lieutenant did try to topple her advantage, but Weiss had proven her prowess over the high ground. The chainsaw attacks were only phased by more swift parries by the advantageous position that she had imposed upon her opponent. Eventually, the lieutenant had decided that, if you can't fight your enemy when she had the height advantage, then it was time to shatter that advantage, literally.

With one thrust of his weapon, the White Fang warrior threw the weight of his weapon from above, forcing Weiss to leap out of the way as the chainsaw drilled right into the tram and nearly cutting a huge chunk of the vehicle. The heiress landed right behind the lieutenant, just before she could lunge her rapier behind his back. With a stroke of bad luck, the lieutenant swung his arm backwards, whacking the blade away with his thick gauntlets. The force of the blow was so hard that Weiss' grip on Myrtenaster slipped off, causing the weapon to fly off towards the wall.

Alarmed, Weiss tried to grab her revolver, but the lieutenant, now walking menacingly towards her, just grabbed her wrist and squeezed it with a deadly force that more than hurt her wrist and making her drop the blaster. With powerful strength, he then hoisted the Senator in the air and stared her down as Weiss was suspended with a vice grip on her fist. She tried to punch the man to let her go, but it was no use. He had her just where she wanted.

"Face it, princess." growled the White Fang lieutenant. "You've got fight, but it ain't gonna do you good." After much struggle, Weiss soon stopped punching the man in the face. She looked like she was going to just give up, lowering her head and, not once, looked at him. When it came to desperate situations like this, there was only one way she was going to go through. A Schnee always has a way; if they were in such a helpless situation, then there was no other choice. She was going to get out, no matter how… dirty she was going to play it.

"You want to fight dirty? Fine." snarled Weiss. Then, as the lieutenant was about to finish her off, she had to resort to the unthinkable. An unthinkable action that the vile man definitely deserved. She moved her right leg as much as she could before, with all her power, swung it down and right towards the man's… vulnerable area.

The man yelled with agonizing pain. Just when he thought he had her, he was greeted with one nasty surprise down his crotch. Weiss was dropped down after her desperate move, feeling her squeezed fist pump in and out from the terrible grip she had suffered. She ran for her weapon, still sprawled on the floor while the lieutenant was still reeling from that nasty kick. So much for proper protection…

When he managed to recover, he then picked up his weapon, rage filling up to its greatest extent. He turned around to find that Weiss had already been reunited with her rapier, standing firmly as she did before.

This time, the odds were slightly in Weiss' favour. The lieutenant was already growing tired and slower by each passing minute. That, along with her less-than-satisfactory low blow, gave her more of an edge against her opponent. Although, her wrist was still feeling the blood flowing wildly after being gripped by the lieutenant. Nevertheless, she held on strong, doing her best to hold the weapon with poise and elegance.

It was time to finish the fight. Weiss pressed on the trigger on her hilt to ignite one of the Dust crystals in her clip. With the brush of her two fingers across her blade, she then unleashed a voracious flame to Myrtenaster. Burning smoothly across her thin blade, Weiss then moved forward to finish off this brute, once and for all.

The two clashed again. As the lieutenant swung his chainsaw, Weiss simply leapt up and delivered a drop-down lunge towards him, pointing her fiery blade towards his head. The lieutenant blocked the attack with the generator powering his blade, giving himself a taste of what Weiss' weapon could do. The heat rushed through his fingers, slightly burning them and almost caused him to release his weapon from the singeing power of the flaming rapier.

The lieutenant then sprung back at the heiress with his chainsaw still primed to eviscerate his prey. Weiss managed to pull herself back and stop the blade from reaching her, barely able to stop the force of the attack from going any further. The lieutenant kept up the momentum with one strike after another, but each attack was only thwarted by the slippery and precise defence of Weiss and her Myrtenaster.

Eventually, after one final attack, the lieutenant still hadn't struck her down, with the last attempt being dodged as Weiss skated back. Now that the enemy had lost his strength for now, she surged forward, seizing her own opportunity to strike back. The blade of her rapier still burned gloriously against the lieutenant's own weapon, flashing wildly with each slash. The flame just continued to hinder his hold against Weiss, heating up his hand every time she struck and parried. She never stopped, for it was her undying resolve to see that, just as the fire around her blade, she would burn down every scum she came across.

Finally, things came to a head again, with both sides locking their weapons together in a tight stalemate. As they tried to push each other off, their glares were directed into each other's eyes, hate flowing through them.

"Give it up!" yelled the lieutenant. "Once I have dealt with you, you shall know suffering beyond anything you and your dreaded family had ever felt." Weiss felt the disgust squirming around inside, sensing the ugly creature's thirst for blood and satisfaction from her death. "Down with the damn Schnee!"

With that last sentence, her patience was at its breaking point, unleashing her greater strength to finish her duel. The merciless demeanour of the lieutenant had finally awakened a force Weiss did not wish to break out.

It was anger. Blind anger… Anger that she had to hear the murderous intentions of the White Fang up close.

She slid her blade against the ragged edges of the chainsaw, slipping right under the brute's nose and delivering a sweeping kick to the leg. It wasn't strong enough to trip him, but she didn't stop. She continued to attack the man with her vitalized anger, slashing away and slowly getting more vicious.

The sweat drops from her body didn't bother her, the tears from her eyes not bringing her down. All that she felt was the need to stop the beast from hunting ever again, to protect the people of Atlas and her family. She was going to show the White Fang, and every single enemy out there, that the Schnee family was not going to become some deadweight. Weiss promised them this; that she was going to make them all pay for the suffering they had caused upon them.

She still kept swinging her blade, even as the Dust in her 'fire' capsule had run out of energy and the fire being extinguished, the hard, sharp metal of her blade being the only thing that could cut the lieutenant down. The lieutenant was feeling the pressure of Weiss' rapid slashing becoming faster and far deadlier, slightly making him more agitated and frightened. The beast was losing his fangs, only fear of death and agony had taken over and turning the hunter into the hunted.

The stress was too much for the lieutenant to handle anymore. The raging blows of the heiress had already negated his ability to defend himself. Finally, once he had stumbled enough, Weiss saw the chance and struck the man in the arm, cutting through the leather sleeve and slicing his shoulder. The sudden pain caused him to drop his weapon and grasped his shoulder.

But as he looked up, the Senator had made one more attack, slashing his thighs, right where the armour pads had not covered. The strikes forced the initially muscular and bulky warrior down into a stricken position. He bent his body down, kneeling with him arm and both legs now weakened.

Weiss looked upon her enemy with pure disdain. Realizing that she had lost her poise, she decided to stop her bloodlust, coming to a full halt to breathe in and calm herself down. She felt the tension in her heart, knowing what she had done. Very rarely did she ever unleash such hatred upon her foes like that. She had done her best to suppress any feelings of anger upon hearing the deaths and losses of her family, but only a very few instances had she broken into fits of rage.

It was just not like a Schnee to display any violent outbursts or murderous rampages. Never in the history of the family was there any incident where they would become such madmen, meant to instil the idea that they were better than any monster like the White Fang. Just imagine how damaged her reputation would be if anyone saw or heard about what she had done. Her father would be furious that she had broken a most sacred courtesy. She would take relief in knowing that the only witness to her brutal rage was this pitiful rat she had defeated. It didn't matter if he would tell anyone about what happened; no one would believe him anyway.

Coming close to the fallen lieutenant, Weiss revolved the capsule in Myrtenaster, switching modes again before clicking in her electric charge. The White Fang warrior was still down on the ground, unable to shake off the pain he had taken. Weiss certainly did the job of taking out vital points in his strength, and with them out of order, he was useless now.

Still, the lieutenant poked his head upwards and spat at the heiress, his rage only blocked by the visor of his helmet.

"We will prevail! You won't get away with this!" yelled the lieutenant. Unfazed, Weiss proceeded to knock him out with a stun blast from her rapier.

"Not this time." She set her rapier and fired an electric charge that was sent zapping towards the lieutenant, shocking him with an intense surge of powerful energy that stunned the man down and sending him to a state of unconsciousness.

Finally, after putting down the leader of the force, Weiss had ended the fight. After stunning the man, she landed her knees down and breathed heavily. She was finally able to take some rest after a hard-fought battle. A battle that had almost made her as vile as the beast she was duelling against. She hoped that, from now on, she would not be so vulnerable to the dark side of herself. No more would she be pushed to her limits; there was going to much more careful fights to pick.

For now, the battle had already ended, but, as Weiss knew, the war was far from over.

* * *

 _An hour later_

The blizzards outside the mine started to clear up, with only a mild chilling breeze blowing in the wind. The heat of battle had just faded away as Atlesian soldiers marched into the mine, bringing captured White Fang minions with them out into the open.

Out with the crowd of soldiers awaiting a ride back home, Weiss was standing still, watching as reinforcements began to descend upon the cleared grounds. The damages done from the battle to the mine and around it were as clear as men on the snow, leaving her thankful that it was over. Her involvement in the operation had left her completely exhausted and tried, but it was a battle deservedly won thanks to her abilities in combat. She did not reveal the full details of her last encounter with the lieutenant of the White Fang, only edging closely on small lies to cover the outburst she had committed.

She was about to catch one of the Weta transports to request a pickup back to base when she was interrupted by the arrival of several more gunships.

Up above her, a Damsel-class dropship, with its long, thin wingspan, and chin-mounted guns scanning the field, soon came flying into the scene and came in close to land a squad of troopers, locked and loaded for the cleaning. The snow blew off from underneath the hovering vehicle, thrust upon Weiss with a strong gust of wind. The troopers dropped down one by one, racing for the mine to secure the area.

When Weiss looked behind the men, her eyes then widened at the presence of someone who had accompanied the troops in the clean-up. Stepping down from the transport, an officer slowly and calmly landed, surveying the scene before her. Weiss was immediately enthusiastic about this particular woman, smiling heavily and her heart fluttering with great relief.

"Winter!" She ran towards the female officer with high spirits. There she was, Captain Winter Schnee, military commander of the Atlesian Army. She stood tall and proud, sporting a standard Atlesian officer uniform, white all over with highlights of light and dark purple painted at her shoulder and waist areas. A shiny military ranking badge was pinned noticeably on her right chest spot, along with a pair of light blue pauldrons sitting nicely atop the shoulders, signifying her high status as one of Atlas' top commanders.

Had she been more involved in politics, she would have been a natural choice to represent Solitas in the Senate, but her preference for the actual battlefields placed her right at home from the war room than the Senate Chamber. Skirmishes and raids by the White Fang were almost her speciality, not a single defeat to humiliate and every victory for her to be relished upon.

As joyful as Weiss was when seeing her sister, Winter did not share the enthusiasm. Immediately, upon finding her younger sister, the intimidating officer narrowed her eyes towards Weiss, glaring deeply with no thought of cheer and rejoice over her safety. Weiss' mood was instantly swapped, suddenly frightened over the disapproving look on Winter's face.

The Captain approached the young Senator, hands joined together behind her back and walking in the usual prideful manner. Her disappointment was then shot at Weiss, unpleased over what had transpired.

"Weiss." The slightly older sister spoke with a voice that could almost sting at the heart. Weiss could not speak up, her head down with shame and inability to defend herself. Winter was renowned for her unquestioned dominion over anyone who viewed her as their superior, and those who defied her were immediately given the worst of her mind, the loudest of her voice. To the Senator, she felt like one of those unlucky soldiers who had disobeyed Winter. "You have deliberately disobeyed a direct order from Father; never become involved in affairs that could potentially kill you, and put your priorities in matters that require your expertise and stay away from physical affairs. And yet, here you are. Meddling with military business when you should be on your way to Coruscant."

"I'm sorry, dear sister." stuttered Weiss, unable to brave the strict nature of the officer. "I just couldn't stand around and let these terrorists run wild and cause chaos. If anything happened…!"

"Ahem!" Winter coughed, shutting Weiss up before she could go on. She had forgotten to remain presentably humble when addressing herself to Winter, a rule that was almost always mandatory in the family, except from her own father, of course.

"That is **my** job, Weiss." cleared Winter. " **Your** job is within the Senate. Not out here on the battlefield." Her voice was loud and clear, not tolerating the unnecessary meddling of a politician, especially her own sister, in troublesome occurrences that were almost always guaranteed to end in death.

Understandably, this was all very upsetting for Weiss. Throughout her life, she had grown to admire and idolize her sister for all the achievements she had earned in her studies and career in the military. She always wanted to prove to Winter that she was more than capable of doing things that any ordinary Senator would not. Every time she tried, however, only seemed to bring disappointment and more scolding.

Weiss could not answer back again, having lost the will to justify her actions in front of Winter. She could only wonder what her father was going to say to her when she returned to Atlas. All that fighting, all of those chances of defending the people of Solitas, jeopardized by her apparent lack of obedience.

"Well, for all of your stubbornness, there is a silver lining to this, anyway." Weiss grew shocked. She was expecting more of a verbal beat-down by Winter, but all she heard… was a sigh? Winter never sighs, she thought. She was always direct over what she saw in many situations, not once struggling to find the answer to her problems. Moreover, not only did she finally **not** rebuke more, but she also gave some complimentary good news. "You did expose the White Fang hideout to us, after all." Then, in a surprising twist of fate, Winter came over and placed her hand on Weiss' shoulder and smiled. If she wasn't done shivering over her initial scolding, the younger Schnee couldn't have felt the small gleeful smile creeping on her face. At long last, her sister had seen something of great potential in her, apparently. It was a first for the Senator; a glorious victory with a nice compliment to top it all off.

"You are certainly capable of handling things yourself, Weiss." Winter praised on. "At least, that, I can be proud of. I suppose, no matter what Father says, a Schnee never backs down from a threat, whether they'd be abstract, or physical." Weiss nodded, understanding that she had her core traits at heart, to answer the call of the people of Solitas to fight her enemies. Still, she did not know how to bring this up to her father, who would probably be livid upon hearing of her involvement in the attack. Fortunately for her, Winter has had that covered for her. "I shall convince Father to let this one slip. If anything, you have shown some promise in handling crises in more ways than I could ever imagine."

After giving Weiss her credit, Winter returned to her duties, walking off to join her troops. Before long, she turned her head around towards the satisfied Weiss, giving her one stern piece of advice to ensure that her little sister chose the right battles to fight. "But do be mindful about the fights you pick, Weiss. Father does have a point about you being safe from the warzone. Otherwise there would be no Senator of your calibre to face the politicians."

As she watched Winter stroll back to her company, Weiss took in what had been said to her. She was delighted that she had taken part in the battle, but after the last bit of Winter's advice, she had the room to accept that she had to be cautious about becoming involved in military matters from now on.

Despite her caution, this turn of events had left an important impression upon her upcoming battle to ensure peace and prosperity to her home planet. She knew that the White Fang was clearly out to find ways to incite fear and suffering to everyone in the system, not surprising considering her previous brush with death on Coruscant. Perhaps, given how well armed they were, they may have had some benefactors from nearby places. Maybe, even the very same world that once threatened Remnant before.

However, there was still very little to prove that Mandalore itself has anything to do with this building crisis, at least as far as the Council in Atlas was concerned. Yet, she remained unconvinced; sooner or later, their true motives will be revealed in time. If there was a connection, then she hoped it would do Solitas, and all of the Republic, good in exposing the true motives of these 'peace-loving people'. As for the White Fang, there was to be further action to snuff out any fires caused by their radicalistic campaign of hate.

From now on, any Faunus she would come across would be put in her radar. Innocent or not, she had to be sure not one of them escaped her sights, until she was sure her life was safely secured by her own power; whether in the Senate Chamber or on the battlefield. It might anger some worlds within the Republic, but once the terrorists commit something that could catch everyone's attention, only then would they listen.

For now, Weiss was to serve her role as Solitas' grand Senator to keep the Republic's faith in Remnant as solid as ever. There were bigger enemies to fight against; an army far more dangerous than anything the Republic had ever faced in millennia. From here, she was to give her people a fighting chance to lead Remnant to greater heights.

This was to be her glorious debut of a lifetime.


	20. Canto Bight's the Dust!

**A/N~ Hey, get it? Because Canto BITES the Dust, eh? Eh?**

 **Okay, forget it. But from the pun above, you'll get the idea on which character this chapter will be focusing on. As promised, this will be one complete chapter and it won't be split into two or more parts unless really necessary to the story. The chapter would be longer than I would usually write, so I hope it won't be too much.**

 **And also, in case you haven't heard, the Clone Wars will be coming back next year! I really can't wait to see the series finish the way it's supposed to be!**

 **Reviews:**

 **CaptViper2100**

 **Thank you so much! It's nice to know that my story hadn't completely went out of way. I'm glad you got to enjoy it**

 **And as always, thanks to the following for giving this story a shot!**

 **The Great Grimm One, CaptViper2100, HelloThereMate, Sleeping Skeleton, Spartan-100 and DarkSoldier41**

 **You guys are amazing as ever! And now, without further delay, let's jump right in!**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Canto Bight's the Dust**

 **Scum and villainy can be found everywhere, even among the law…**

 _Infiltration in the midst!_

 _After securing herself within the hull of a crime syndicate ship, Yang Xiao Long attempts to take the prized spices of the Mining Guild to fulfil a debt by the Hutts._

 _As the ship ventures into hyperspace, the Yellow Rancor remains in hiding, waiting for the right time to spring the trap._

* * *

Torchwick was on a roll for this turn of the year. For all of his business ventures, this was to be his crowning beginning to greater prominence. The conniving conman-turned-crime boss had big goals for the very crime syndicate he formed for so long.

His cargo craft was already in the eternal realm of a hyperspace lane, zooming across from one end of the galaxy to another. Within that ship, it carried a cargo far too precious for anyone, even the Republic, to prevent from travelling to Torchwick's numerous customers across the galaxy. His trip would take him and his crew across the shadiest parts of the known galaxy, and where better to start than the very centre of the underworld, the shadiest of the shadiest.

During the course for the Corporate Sector, Torchwick was probably busy negotiating with his latest business partner from the Mining Guild, all while his henchmen were guarding the goods from anyway wayward trespassers and opportunists who would do almost anything to sneak aboard and take as much as a pinch of his newly-acquired spices. At least, he had to depend on some of his most loyal servants to safeguard the cargo, and by 'most loyal', that meant his more patient underlings; those who were willing to follow orders to get the money they were promised from their jobs. These men would look out for any signs of betrayal, theft or mutiny aboard the vessel, ordered to shoot on sight.

In the Torchwick Syndicate, no one was innocent, and everyone guilty would receive the same punishment as the rest. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. You'd be lucky to leave the ship with only a set of a broken bones and shattered egos intact.

What could be worse than that? Apparently, one person on board didn't really care about getting herself into trouble.

Yang had been waiting in a dusty janitorial room for almost an hour now. After passing through the ventilation shafts, she was able to avoid any detection and waited. Of all the places for guards to look, the closet would be the least likely to search for intruders. Even if they would check, it wouldn't do them any good once Yang was done with them.

Though uncomfortable, she was able to bide her time, forced to wait for the right time to move out when everyone was probably with negotiations and what not. Once she was out, she would be on her way towards her prize before Torchwick would even know what would hit him.

Still, Yang needed to get to those shipments and fast. Just grab a crate full and drop into an escape pod. Pretty simple plan, right?

Nope.

As far as she remembered, nothing was ever simple in the life of a smuggler. No heist or theft was too easy or too hard. No plan was ever too crafty or too straightforward. You gotta be prepared to snatch up without batting an eye away from the dangers presented.

Guards were no pushovers, no matter how easy they could be. Yang would only resort to her strength when it was absolutely necessary, which was kind of an understatement, considering that she found every single moment necessary.

This time was going to be different. These were not just some lousy underpaid goons. Those who served in the Torchwick Syndicate were actually far more competent than the usual lackey, being more capable in combat and far more motivated in their jobs. You do your part, you'd get paid handsomely, but mess up, you're food for Torchwick's pet gurggs.

But Yang wanted more. Much more. Just a boxful of the spice from the Mining Guild could be enough to last her for months. She'd be able to pay off her debt to the Hutts and enjoy the rest at her own leisure. Spices by the Mining Guild were often rare and sometimes more valuable than even those of the highest demand in the black market.

After some time, Yang had finally left the closet, moving forward by sneaking close to the walls, on the lookout for her destination and, of course, the guards. She didn't have to worry about the cameras. Crawling into the vents had gotten her to a central power box, where she was able to snip off any connection to the security feed. Torchwick would be so busy with his business deal that he wouldn't look into the matter. They would have to land the ship if they wished to fix it anyway, so for now, all was smooth.

Eventually, Yang reached the door that would lead her inside. The door into the cargo bay was flanked by two of Torchwick's men, a reddish-brown-skinned Ishitib and another human, both wearing shades and donning the usual white and red uniforms that were the prime symbols of the Syndicate.

They both didn't really look to be that serious with their jobs, one of them almost very drowsy as his body was noticeably swaying from fatigue. The Ishitib guard saw this and quickly snapped him out of it, flicking him in the head and immediately waking him up.

"Wake up, slimeball." The guard urged, groaning in Huttese. The human guard shook his head as he woke from a very rude awakening. To be fair though, the first guard wasn't any better at standing guard right now.

"Bantha fodder…" Growling with frustration, the man cursed back, murmuring a vulgar word under his breath. Yang watched the two messing around with a random conversation, waiting for the right moment where they would lose their conscious over their duties.

"You high on those death sticks or something?" taunted the Ishitib guard.

"I don't take death sticks, Ramer." blurted the human guard.

"Then what's the matter? You're never this sleepy."

"It's been a rough day, alright?!" snorted the second guard, prone to a short temper from his groggy state.

"You hittin' on that Aqualish gal back there, weren't ya?" snickered the Ishitib, giving the other guy a little wink to suggest something worthwhile.

"Shut up." Finally, the two had ceased their little argument, resuming the boring task of watching over the cargo, still feeling out of shape from an hour of doing nothing, fighting nothing and earning nothing. It wasn't like anything was going to happen anyway; they had been guarding Torchwick's cargo for the past few months now, so what was to stop them now?

Meanwhile, Yang bided her time, letting those two doze off on the job, so she could have her fun with them. Just a bit more time to keep them slow on the go would be enough to give her that moment to strike.

After minutes of waiting, Yang finally found her signs. The two men, once again, began to fall half-asleep, eyes thinning and bodies slowly wobbling from tiredness. It was time to move out and give them a knocking. Confidentially, Yang came out from her hiding spot and walked casually towards the two men. Her presence did get their attention, but by the time they were well aware of what had to be done, she was already within striking distance to use her best weapons for the job.

"Tired, boys?" Yang smirked.

"Wait right th-!" Just before the guards could react, Yang already made her move. With her two hands, she grabbed their heads and bashed them together.

 **BASH!**

At once, Yang put the two men out of commission. She could almost feel that the amount of force put into the bashing would be enough to knock them out for days. Hopefully, she didn't break their skulls in… or worse…

Oh well, none of that mattered; she was about to get in there and take what is hers. Yang didn't need to use a password or entry code to open the door. She'll just do it the only way she knew how. She clenched her fist and punched the control panel, deactivating the security lock and allowing the door to open up.

Right inside, Yang could see the treasures she was so craving for. A whole cargo room filled with crates and containers of the rare spices dug up by the Mining Guild, with the opened caches seeing them filled to the brim with the orange powder-like goods that made Yang's eyes glimmer with desires for richness.

She dragged the two unconscious bodies into the room and hid them right behind some of the crates. She didn't really have to worry about them being found; by the time they would find them, she would already be gone with her prize.

"My money, at last." Yang was almost in a daze at the expansive storage of goods, staring into the vast stashes of the numerous spices, mined throughout the darkest corners of the galaxy, thinking about how much she could manage to stack in. Even if she needed just a small portion, just how much more could she hope to get from this? Imagine the vast amounts of credits she would earn by selling more than one crate!

No. She shook her head. Even with all the potential wealth she could gain from all of this, she had to remember; she was only here for one, and that was more than enough. Still, she had to give credit to the Guild for gathering up everything in there.

The Mining Guild was once the most formidable force of mining that the galaxy had ever seen. Even long before the Old Republic itself, it survived for generations. Nowadays, however, overwhelming competition between other more powerful criminal organizations and mining corporations had diminished its once great dominance, forcing them to locate other lesser-known sources of riches. Fuel, energy-rich gases or less valuable resources; anything that was at least earnable at a decent standard. And for that matter, the Guild had to look towards smaller markets that could help them obtain the credits they needed.

Yang was at awe by how much spice was mined by the Guild. She didn't care how many mines they must have owned, and how long it took to get all of this. The point was; her money was right in front of her. She didn't need to take all of the spice; just enough to pay off her debt from the Hutts. She scanned the shipments that were in the room, looking through all the canisters and crates of goods taken by the Guild. The irresistible pull of the potential riches she could gain only adding to her excitement. She just needed to find that one crate where she could gain her rightful place within the elite and prosperous.

It was just one crate, right? And Torchwick was going to have the rest sold to him anyway. There's tons of those crates to go around, so why bother about just one measly crate?

Well… that was not what Roman Torchwick was willing to accept. As far as Yang had heard of him, he was a man who needed every single opportunity grasped into his hands, not letting one slip-up result ruin the perfect gains. If he needed to become the business pioneer of the underworld, he needed everything to be done right. And that was the philosophy of the formation of the very syndicate he had created.

The Torchwick Syndicate was somewhat of a rising star in the criminal underworld, originating from the very slums of Vale before emerging across the galaxy as rogue smugglers and mercenaries, culminating with the very man himself, Roman Torchwick, to formulate an entire organization when the opportunity arose. Those who shared his views immediately went to work to agree upon a mutual cooperative effort that shall benefit from all of their shared earnings.

But as with all major syndicates in the galaxy, those deals and partnerships tend to fall apart with the snap of a finger. The shifty alliance between Torchwick's former co-workers had finally given way for his eventual rise to power as one of the craftiest criminals in the galaxy. Wanted in many systems, he could evade them all by bribing allies and racketeering others to become his meat-shields when he needed to bail out of lost causes.

Now, the Syndicate stood as the next force of criminal power in the galaxy. They were about to make the galactic stage and reach for greater heights. Well, Yang could let Torchwick run his little charades all he wanted. She was only interested in getting the smallest fraction of the collection.

Just then, Yang found the right crate for the job, one that was atop a floating trolley that could be used for a quick getaway. If there was going to be any trouble, she would kick it to high gear and push the crate all the way to the nearest escape pod while firing her way through. It'd be one quick ride to freedom and sweet, sweet paydays to come.

But then, a quick getaway would not be in her reach for long. She heard soon heard chatter coming from outside the door. Hurriedly, she looked around for a spot to hide. From there, she ran right behind one of the hauler vehicles parked at the corner, far away from the door. Quietly, she tucked herself in behind it and awaited the company to arrive.

She watched as the door opened to reveal the people coming into the room. Lo and behold, she saw the face of the man behind it all. Accompanied by a menagerie of other low-lives, Roman Torchwick, lad in his white luxurious coat with black buttons and a fur collar, along with some fancy fez-fedora fusion of a hat, walked right in, mighty in his stride and face smothered with pride. The curved tip of his cane's hilt twirled around his finger, showing a form of elegance that many wouldn't find in most diehard crime lords, maybe with the exception of Black Sun.

Backing him up, the ever loyal Neapolitan, the quiet henchwoman as she was, watched his back, walking sassily just to keep the mood in high cheers. The rest of the group merely consisted of the big boss of the Mining Guild, Ro'rk, and his bodyguards. Yang gulped, hoping that the absence of the two guards didn't give off any signs.

"The Mining Guild has been struggling to have all of these supplies, Torchwick." grunted Ro'rk. "You better not screw this up." Torchwick just chuckled at his partner's concerns, wrapping an arm over the plump old boss.

"Relax, Ro'rk." laughed Roman. "Do you know who you're talking to?"

"Yeah. A man whose ego's bigger than his ambitions." scoffed Ro'rk, totally unconvinced. Roman just left his friend and walked to the centre, gesturing for everyone to bask in the glow of their greatest achievement yet, all with a simple smile and a show of idealistic bravado.

"You're looking at a fine entrepreneur in the making, Ro'rk! Together, the Guild and the Syndicate will make galactic history. The black market's got nothing on us! Even the Pyke Syndicate will be bowing to our knees!" Ro'rk, again, didn't really want to know what Torchwick felt about this partnership; his mind was only on the credits.

"I just need the money, Torchwick." he reminded. "The Republic's been putting embargoes across the galaxy and the Outer Rim's big on competition."

"Smart man here, Neo." Roman pointed his cane at the boss, grinning at his loyal lieutenant of crime. The woman gave him a sweet, silent nod, without a word. "Yes, we're all playing the niche game here. My customers from Bonadan will pay high prices for all of these goods."

From behind her cover, Yang nodded in understanding. The Corporate Sector hardly had a proper government, ruled by a force of equally petty thieves willing to let the profits of war fill their banks. So, it only seemed like the logical, but also risky choice to make deals with the richest of the rich; centred in the capital of the sector. Maybe that was why they decided to switch course from Nar Shaddaa as originally planned.

"And why Bonadan?" urged Ro'rk. "Couldn't we not just stick to our original plan to sell to the Hutts? It's the safer option."

"Safe means less money, Ro'rk." reminded Torchwick, pointing his cane at the alien boss. The fat old chum just retorted in response, agitated by the tip of the cane, which he knew it was also an actual weapon aiming right at him. "I don't intend on selling your goods to the Hutt Cartel, especially with that runt, Ziro the Hutt, sliming around Coruscant."

Roman went to fetch himself a sample of the spice from one of the crates, willing to take a pinch of it. He took that small bit of the spice with his two fingers and rubbed them together, sprinkling it slowly down onto the clump.

Unfortunately, where Roman was, that was the closest to where Yang was hiding. She ducked down, keeping her bright yellow hair down. Stubborn as always, she could never think about cutting off her fiery hair, for one snip of it was more than enough to put her in a stage of rage. In one instance, a single stray bullet that seared through one strand threw her in a rage that ultimately decimated an entire gang of twenty men. And now, that fear of getting ruined was her biggest handicap.

"And since the Pykes are our greatest competition in the spice trade, there's no point negotiating with them… yet."

Luckily, Roman's back was facing her, too focused on entertaining his guests than looking around for a glowing bundle of blond hair. Even better, Yang saw Roman walking away from his spices, heading back to talk to his partner. She would have to wait for them to leave the room once the syndicate leader was done with his talk about glory and rising power.

As she kept still, Roman continued to chat on, almost ready to leave the room to whatever might make the time pass. She was about to get ready just as soon as the group left the room, when something bad really happened.

When she moved up, she felt something tugging at her hair. Panicked, she laid her eyes at what was getting her hair stuck. To her bewilderment, her long hair had been caught in one of the hinges of the forklift's hooks. Angered by this, Yang tried to pull herself out, patience driven to the extreme breaking point. Her eyes turned red and her temper flared, pulling vigorously to release her hair. After a few tugs to no avail, her rage was directed towards the forklift, clenching her fist and made one powerful punch, blindly smashing the hook.

 **CLUNK!**

Her fist slammed on the hook so hard that it broke off and freed her. She brushed the trapped part of her hair while losing some steam. But as she kept on stroking her hair, she realized what she had done.

"Oops…" Turning around, she could see that Roman and his gang had spotted her, having heard that little hit on the forklift. Faces riddled with serious shock, they stared at Yang, alerted by her presence. The guards had their blasters pointed right for her stricken face, their fingers ready to pull the trigger. The only response Yang could give them was an awkward chuckle and a pitiful wave.

"Hey, guys…" she stuttered with the weight of their anger on her. Now, she realized she had to do the only thing she had to do.

Everyone's fears were suddenly lightened up upon seeing Yang, remembering the fearsome reputation of the Yellow Rancor throughout the underworld. Even the gentle Neo was frightened by the deadly sight of this ruthless mercenary in their ship. But for Roman, there wasn't any genuine fear for this blonde. He had heard the tales of this smuggler beating up the underworld for years now, but seeing her for the first time only seemed to have amused him.

"Well, well, well." Roman said as he sneered at Yang. "What do we have here?"

"Hey!" Yang tried to sound friendly to the man, with no luck in convincing Torchwick, "Torchwick, right? It's not what you think."

"Oh, I know what you're trying to do." Torchwick tapped his cane onto his palm. With his guards still aiming their weapons, he could try to see for himself if this Yellow Rancor was as tough and rare as her name suggested. "So, you're the Yellow Rancor? You look more like some busybody who couldn't put her mind anywhere else."

"Look, Torchwick. We can talk about this." Her hands were up, trying harder to slip her way through the trouble. "How about we work on a compromise? You and me, split the payment, ten to one?" She wasn't sure if she wanted to be reasonable. Merely, this little ploy was nothing more than a desperate move to get his attention long enough for her to flee with her cargo. As expected, her pleas had failed.

"I don't think so, sweetheart." Torchwick chuckled. "Do you really think you could steal from the genius that is me? Do you have any idea who you're dealing with here?" Okay, Yang was getting nowhere. Seeing no other option, her best bet was to try and take action. To do that, she needed to show **them** who they're dealing with. If she was going to deal with everyone at once, she was going to push forward and do the things only Yang Xiao Long could do.

"Let me guess." she retorted with sass, acting as if she was giving some form of professional assessment, but Torchwick knew she was trying to get on his bad side. Apparently, judging by how he was gritting his teeth, it seemed to be working. "Rich guy, full of delusions of grandeur, terrible guard service and questionable relations with his business partners?" With the 'thwack' of her tongue, she delivered the final blow to her new enemy. "Yep, I'd say you're Roman Torchwick, alright."

Surprisingly, Torchwick resisted, suppressing his anger down before returning to calm stature. He leaned himself onto his cane, bending his body forward with that smug grin again.

"You've got some spunk for such a blonde." Yang scoffed at his remark. Honestly, was this really the witty Roman Torchwick she had heard stories of? Where was that pizazz he was boldly showing to his guests? She could tell that his comeback was forced, no actual attempt in riling her nerves up. "I suppose you're here to snatch up some of my spices?"

"Well, your spices are very valuable." said Yang. "So, why not just let me take some of it and we can be on our way?"

"Not a chance!" yelled Ro'rk, clearly angered that someone could just take his own spices and get away with it. However, after he shouted out against her, Yang gave him her fierce stare, immediately putting the Guild boss in his place as he retreated behind his equally terrified bodyguards. This time, Neo, having seen the dangerous stare, rushed to join Torchwick, who was still unfazed by such power in Yang's look.

"As my cowardly partner said, I believe there's no way you're getting any of my spice, missy." defied Torchwick. To show Yang that he truly meant it, Neo pulled out her umbrella, closed in and aimed at the blonde smuggler like a gun.

"Whoa, whoa!" Yang mockingly exclaimed, pushing her arms out. "Let's not be too hasty, boys! And lady…" Neo squinted her two differently-coloured eyes at her, teeth also clashing together but without a sound from her voice. And still, even as she tried to play the long game, there was no

"Boys!" Seeing that there was no time for such foolishness, Torchwick snapped his finger, signalling his guards to deal with the rude intruder. "Get her." Two of Roman's men and the Rodian bodyguards of the Mining Guild soon came over to deal with the trespasser. Even if they were going to be bringing the Yellow Rancor herself, they knew they couldn't defy their boss either.

Again, being threatened at gunpoint was nothing uncommon in her business. If anything, considering how many people wanted her dead in the past, she would have been used to it by now. That was why she had a good feeling about this one.

Her fists, while still up, clenched, not afraid to show how tense she was. Multiple guns pointing at her was not going to frighten her nor anger her. She already found her way out, with a bold plan to execute, and Torchwick so happened to be standing right next to the first part of the plan.

"Okay, okay." Finally, she seemed like she was going to surrender. Once they saw that the Yellow Rancor had finally decided to give up and allow herself to be captured, they thought…

That's it? Really?

Did Yang Xiao Long, the most brutal and fearsome smuggler this side of the galaxy and the bane of all criminal organizations, just surrender? Just like that?

They couldn't believe it. Hundreds of men had been mauled to death by this violent yet wacky brawler, and yet, here she was, giving up to the Torchwick Syndicate. At first, everyone was still cautious for fear that she might try to play a trick on them. They kept their weapons onto her, slowly inching towards the helpless smuggler. The slightest move she'd make; they would shoot her down without mercy.

Despite the danger posed, Yang kept her movement limited at all times. One wrong move, and it was all over for her. She had to wait as the guards circled her, and then they would bring her towards Torchwick, where she would hope to remain cooperative enough to not trigger any alarms. Once they were behind her, she felt her back being butted by a rough touch of metal, and even if she knew it was from one of the guard's blasters, she didn't flinch. All she had to do was cooperate and let them walk her towards their boss.

Torchwick drew his cane and aimed it low from his side, backed by Neo with her own conventional weapon primed. Soon, Yang was brought to the boss with her hands up, still not going to start a fight. Right next to her, the crate of the spice remained opened with the orange powder filling inside it. Perfect.

The orange-haired boss then poked Yang in the stomach, putting her in even graver danger. He gave her a brave smirk, not deterred by how close he was to this dangerous woman.

"It seems that you're not so tough, after all." gloated the man. "A trip to the brig will do you good." This time, it was Yang's turn to grin. Roman didn't see what was amusing about this because he was still not convinced she would do anything that could signal his men to shoot. Just what could she do now?

Yang knew exactly what to do, and it will not end well… for Torchwick.

At once, when Torchwick was about to order his guards to send her off, Yang sprung to action. Quickly, she shifted her body towards the spice crate and grabbed a fistful of the powder and threw it right at Torchwick's face.

Shocked and caught blinded by the throw, Torchwick let out rough coughs while his eyes were being stung by the spice that went into his eyes. His guards and Neo were about to act when yang quickly grabbed Torchwick and punched him in the gut before wrapping him up closely in her arm. She drew one of her blasters and aimed it at the crime boss' head, turning him into a hostage. The guards hesitated to fire while Neo flinched at the sight of her boss being held by this loathsome scum.

Now, the tables had turned and Yang was about to start the bargain. A grin was smacked onto her face, showing no fear when the chance for escape was at hand.

"Alright! Nobody move!" threatened Yang. "I guess you can say I have your big boss… under my arm. Get it?" She cackled humorously, resulting to cracking the usual puns to make the situation sweeter. And as always, no one reacted, only eyes shifting around awkwardly, questioning whether she was seriously doing this whole hostage deal right or not. If they had met all of Yang's other victims, they would have known that this was the usual habit for this otherwise wild beast.

"Never mind." Yeah, Yang wasn't liking on where she was going anyway. So, it was back to business.

"Let go of me, you golden twit. Now!" shouted Torchwick. The only response he got was a whack on the head by Yang's pistol.

"Shut up, you." hushed Yang before looking back at the group to get what she wanted. "Now, listen. As tempting as it is to take everything, I'll be fair this time." Pointing at the crate on the trolley, she told the guards what they had to do, or their boss was toast. "I'll be taking one of those crates over there and I'll let you have the rest. So, if you'll kindly move it out the door, I'll be sure to drop spice-hair over here."

The guards began to consider the option. To them, it sounded like she was actually going to just walk off with a very small portion of the cargo. It wasn't anything too big, right? Ro'rk certainly knew how much each crate was worth, and getting rid of only one of them was only but a fraction of the bigger costs of his collection.

"Listen, Torchwick. Maybe she's right." reasoned Ro'rk. "It's only one…"

"No! Absolutely not!" yelled Torchwick. Every crate had to be sold to get the maximum cash count. There wasn't going to be anything less than what was promised to his customers. Torchwick wanted everything intact and perfect for his upcoming auction of the spices and not one crate was going to leave his sight.

Unfortunately, his guards were not as concerned with his cargo than the safety of their own boss. Their loyalty stopped them from taking the risks Torchwick wanted them to make, not strong with these big troublesome situations. Defeated and backed against their will, they were forced to do her bidding.

"Don't you two dare!" Torchwick yelped with spite. But the guards, worried over their boss's safety, didn't listen and went ahead to carry the shipment from out of the room. He watched with disbelief as they hauled the trolley out the door. He wanted to break out and give those two a lesson they'd never forget, but being held with a gun to his head, he had to put a note on it and save it for later.

"That's it, boys." Yang was satisfied with the cooperation and began to move towards her prize. She still had Torchwick in her grasp as she slowly pointed her gun at his men. Venomous spite was filled on Neo's face, witnessing how helpless her boss was, but she couldn't take the shot. Yang was too covered behind his boss that there was no way she could risk shooting past him.

Knowing this, Yang was already ready to take the trolley and make a run for it. If Torchwick was like any other crime boss out there, he would alert his men and lieutenant to attack her right as soon as she would let him go. The moment she was within reaching distance of the trolley's bars. she would book it right away.

Slowly, she inched close enough to reach the trolley with her crate still intact. The standoff between the two sides was still heated, shifting around with the prize right in the middle. Yang prepared to ditch her hostage and run away with the spice towards the escape pod. In position, she slowly loosened her grip while turning her body so that her arm could reach for the handle bar of the trolley. When the time was right, she released her prisoner and made way for her cargo.

"Here you go!" She gave one tough push and tossed Roman to his lackeys; Neo catching him as he tripped. Torchwick turned around with fury at the brat who dared to take him hostage and steal his precious cargo. "And I thank you for the lovely gift!" Yang just gave the group a wave goodbye and quickly ran off, pushing her new prize and racing into the corridor.

As expected, Torchwick was not going to let her go so easily. If anyone under him thought he was mad before, he was about to take it to a whole new level. No one dares touch Roman Torchwick and gets away with it.

"After her! Don't let her get away with my spice!" At once, Neo nodded and went to pursue the brawler before she could get away, followed by the two guards. Torchwick then grabbed hold of his communicator to alert the whole ship that they had brought in an uninvited guest on board. "Attention everyone! We have a blasted wretch in the ship and she has stolen my spice! I want everyone to get her, now! And if I find out whoever fails, you will be enjoying your service here for the last time!" With his livid mood, no one was going to ignore him. In fact, they would be running amok, scrambling to get to their stations and stop Yang Xiao Long from escaping.

Of course, Yang knew she was not going to get the proper exit she would have liked, so her blaster was out, loaded with a few flechette rounds and a frag round to deal with any opposition in her way.

As soon as Yang ran off with her cargo, she was already met with resistance from Torchwick's crew, facing her from the other side of the corridor where she could find her escape pod. She quickly shifted her trolley in front of her to be used as cover just as the blasters began firing. Red laser bolts darted all around her, filling the tight space with endless fire and keeping her trapped from moving. She took out her other pistol, doubling her firepower and returned fire, shooting her deadly shrapnel rounds at the crooks in front.

The recoiling shots of her dual pistols rocked at the men, distorting their focus when the spread fire crashed into their own cover behind the wall supports. When they were stuck enough, Yang would switch to firing the two grenades in her guns, shooting them off and blowing up the foes around the explosions. She could see one of the men flying from his protection, taken out by one of her grenades and left lying dead on the ground. There was only one man left to take her on; a Gran with a repeater that spat out rapid fire shots all over her.

Yang hid down again, reloading her weapons as fast as she could. She had to hurry and deal with the shooter at the front, for Torchwick and more of his backup was close behind, potentially surrounding her to an impossible standoff. After completing the reload, she quickly fired at the Gran with his gun, taking him out with a single shot. The area was finally clear and Yang grabbed hold of the trolley and ran off, just as she heard cries of anger rushing right behind her.

After a few more moments of brutal exchange with the gangsters, Yang felt the ship come to a slow course, seemingly out of hyperspace. She was able to reach the room where she could use the escape pods and jettison herself out of the ship and towards safety. But behind her, Torchwick and his forces were already converging on her location. She ran for the escape pod at the far end of the room, pressing on the panel to open the door. With all of her strength, she carried her cargo into the pod, stuffing it into the tiny space inside. Afterwards, she hopped on aboard, just blaster fire could be heard outside the room. When she was inside the pod, she pressed on the lock on the panel to shut the door, sealing her inside.

From outside, she could see that the endless void of stars, also close to a nearby desert planet. When she was ready to eject the pod out, she locked onto the coordinates, setting her sights on that planet for a landing. Just as she was about to hit the eject button, she could see, from the viewport at the door, that some of Torchwick's men was trying desperately to budge the door open.

All she did was give them all a wave goodbye, smirking with a wink as she finally pushed the button. The pod immediately shot itself out and sent Yang and her cargo out of the ship and hurled right into the very vacuum of space. The engine boosters of the pod sped it towards the planet, lasting only a few seconds before it could shut off and float on. Yang viewed the criminal ship from afar as her pod flew around, heading for the planet down below.

She took this time to finally relax, resting her back down on the seat in the pod while looking at her new prize. Knowing that the ship was unarmed from the outside, she had no worries; it was all going according to plan. As it turned out, she figured that Torchwick was going to Bonadan, so stopping in this part of the galaxy must have meant that she had ended up in Corporate Sector territory. Any planet within that sector was sure to find her goods irresistible.

Meanwhile, up above, in the ship, Torchwick was watching his treasure drift away towards the planet. Now, he was beyond angry for losing it to some nosy wretch who dared to threaten him. Hissing with frustration, he turned to Neo, who was standing worried at her boss's mood and trying to comfort him with a hand to his shoulder.

"Get me the Governor. Now!"

* * *

Cantonica,

Corporate Sector,

Outer Rim,

Yang waited out her trip towards the planet, spending time by planning out her costs for the single crate of spice she had taken from Torchwick. She considered each condition based on rarity of the spice, difficulty of obtaining it and the place of selling. She wondered where in the galaxy she would end up that might satisfy great yields from all three conditions.

The pod soon reached its crash course, landing powerfully into the sand-ridden surface of the desert world. Once she left her pod, she was able to locate a small trading outpost where she found the right people to look for.

A fairly simple town like those found on other desert planets, with houses in states of dereliction and degradation, but still stable enough with the help of junk being repurposed as building materials. Even then, activity was rampant throughout, with numerous people doing business with others, most likely being pulled into shady deals and scams, as was the norm of the Corporate Sector. Traders and merchants from all over the Corporate Sector were flocking the whole area, selling not just any old junk or goods, but some of the most valuable commodities this side of the galaxy had to offer. Not even in the black market would you find the things they sold in the Corporate Sector, where even the smallest of towns can offer you a rare trinket or two.

Yang was able to find a buyer for her spice, from a Kyuzo trader who happened to be selling his own collection of spices. When Yang showed the cargo she had for him, he was quick to negotiate a deal with her. As she expected, the dealer was far too quick to confirm the fee, which was exactly the amount she needed.

"Here's your pay." the Kyuzo spoke in his species' language. However, it was a language Yang was very unfamiliar with. Having never met a Kyuzo, except for a bounty hunter she encountered before, she had to rely on much simpler ways to communicate Basic with the dealer. Luckily, the conversation didn't take long. All you had to do was present the spice, and the guy was sold. No protocol droid needed.

The dealer presented the credits he agreed to give. A black briefcase was placed on top of the table, filled with the money promised. Yang opened up the case to check the stash and to her amazement, tiny gold bars were cached in rows of three, with each row counting at about fifteen bars.

Yang couldn't believe it. That was almost more than enough money to solve her problems and to enjoy a life of luxury for many months to come. This was perfect! The chance to live life the way she could have never imagined. All of these credits could last her almost half her lifetime. Satisfied with the reward she was given, she grabbed the case instantly and held it close to her chest with dreams and ambitions practically fulfilled.

"Pleasure doing business with you!" Yang saluted to the dealer with her free arm, carrying her new money with her and leaving the Kyuzo with a new crate of spice to use to his advantage. With her credits in hand, Yang was ready to find the next ship back to Kintan, where Gorga the Hutt was probably plotting for another bounty on her head.

Yang would think about how liberated she would be when all of her troubles from Gorga the Hutt would end. All because of the loss of several corodium shipments smuggled from the Hutt colony of Rekero to Republic authorities; a job that Yang failed miserably to go through.

"Now, to pay my debt to Gorga, or every bounty hunter in the galaxy will be after my throat." So, Yang searched for her way out of the seemingly empty planet she ended up in. The trading area she was in did have two landing pads where two space junkers were docked on. Maybe she could bribe one of the pilots with her new cash. She just hoped that the pilot would be daring enough to travel to Hutt Space and land on the Nikto homeworld without fear.

Upon walking over to the cliff where one of the landing platforms was, however, she saw something over the distance. From beyond the hills further down the valley, she could see some sort of metropolitan centre over what appeared to be an ocean? An ocean in a desert world? Now that was something you didn't see every day. A city looked like it was flourishing, from the looks of spotlights and loud music playing off just enough for Yang to hear. Whatever government was able to make this entire city within this wasteland, they had to be given credit for their resourcefulness.

However, as far as Yang knew, this was not just any city. With the greatest stroke of luck ever, she happened to have stumbled upon one of the richest cities in the sector. The centre of Corporate Sector entertainment at its greatest.

Canto Bight. When she realized what she was seeing, Yang's heart raced with the temptation of the most prosperous opportunities any rich man or woman could ever have. With all the money she had, there was no denying her this chance to test out how lucky she would be.

"On second thought…!"

* * *

Canto Bight,

Cantonica,

Corporate Sector,

Outer Rim,

The city of Canto Bight was, as always, one that never sleeps. Every day and night, the highest and the mightiest would converge and engage in some of the wildest and grandest of entertainment. Ranging from cruises across its artificial ocean, to gathering at the very centres of gambling sprees and animal racing, Canto Bight was one of many popular attractions of the Corporate Sector, bringing in figures from across the galaxy to enjoy a life of luxury and prosperity before returning home to usual business.

Being in the Corporate Sector, however, the galaxy outside always viewed this small section of itself as nothing more than a bunch of corrupted profiteers. If there was probably one thing the Republic and the Separatists could agree on, the Sector was only booming because its governments were able to gain credits and relations through all sorts of illegal activities.

Canto Bight, especially, was a city that profited out of the troubles of the galaxy, and it was only going to get even better from here. With war now raging outside the borders of the sector, it was ready to get to work in welcoming any business to do with countless people from the outside to be fed with much more than they could imagine. Little would they know that nothing was ever gold and glory in this city.

Even within its beautifully constructed buildings, the city boasted the same kind of criminal activity found in most urban worlds, if not, a lot worse than that. While the petty government manages all outer affairs, its own cities were filled with some of the darkest figures in crime, so dark, in fact, that they were not registered or found in official galactic records.

The police force, as powerful as it was, was also corrupt. Like the people they were tasked to monitor and arrest, they were also motivated by money; just pay up a handsome price and they would be coaxed into letting you go without further charges. There was not a single officer who was truly loyal to the definition of law that the Republic followed, choosing to bend to the will of the rich, or at least those who could afford to bribe them out.

No wonder the Republic and the Separatists rarely try to negotiate or cooperate with worlds in this corrupted sector. No one with a sane or right mind would ever make any relations with those who fell for the curse of a free, luxurious life within the wretched hive of the worst of scum.

But that was the sort of repulsive nature that gave many mission-goers an advantage.

At one of the city squares, standing at a large patio overlooking the man-made ocean, a lone Rodian under a fur hood looked over the view, looking like he was just there to take a stroll. He stood there, next to a couple who were probably taking it too far with their romantic date. He looked away from the heavy smooching they were doing, choosing to await his own deal of the day, just as the sun set. Once the night bloomed, the city would have double its star power, and that meant hundreds more people coming out to flood the streets and having a blast.

He cursed at this, impatient about how long he had to wait for a certain someone to meet him. That impatience was not from the lack of anything to do, but rather the secrecy of his upcoming meeting with the individual. He had to watch all around him in case some snoopy brat showed up to expose his secrets or just distract him from his mission. Everywhere he looked, he grew even warier, becoming more paranoid over busybodies or troublemakers who could ruin his task.

Suddenly, while he still waited, the Rodian turned around to find a robed figure approaching him, hood shrouding over his face. At first, he almost flinched at the possibility that this mysterious being was about to do harm; mug him, rob him or even murder him. Though, true to his mission, he had to take a risk and go forward with his plans. Maybe this stranger could be someone who was involved with him. Nothing was for sure. All he had to do was use a code-word that could identify the purpose of this being's presence.

"So, who won the Mon Gazza Speedway today?" the Rodian asked the hooded figure. "Did Teemto Pagalies win again?"

"Pulled an unexpected second." The figure responded with a low but soft voice, answering to the Rodian's phrase. "Would have won if Aldar Beedo didn't sabotage the **left** engine before the race."

The Rodian finally sighed. At last, his contact had arrived, going through with the code without a hitch. After confirming that he had his man, he quickly led him to a small corner of a shop, behind a streetlamp and away from public eyes and ears. With a hushed voice, he whispered to the man to get his true identity.

"Lie Ren, I assume?" he asked. The man removed his hood, revealing the black-magenta colour of his hair and the pale skin of the Guardian of the Whills hailing from Jedha. Around the human's neck was a necklace with a crystal that periodically glowed on and off at the presence of the Rodian contact. True to this, the Rodian too had a crystal similar to Ren's in his pocket, that he could have instead used it to confirm Ren's arrival. However, the code phrase was still needed as extra assurance that he had the right guy. Gladly, all was going well for the two. "I was told you had someone else to accompany you?"

Ren blinked for a second, not wanting to answer the question of being followed by another certain person that was, as much as he didn't wish to know, probably messing around in some other part of the city area by now.

"She is… occupied." he sighed.

"Very well." The Rodian contact, known as Cryzak, nodded. No distractions, Phest told him before. The less Nora was involved, the better.

Wait… Then again, leaving Nora to her own devices was just as terrible of an idea as having her with him at this time. Still, there was nothing he could tostop her. Now that Cryzak was here, he had to go on and call for the mission that Ren was sent to do.

"What can you tell me about the artefact, Cryzak?" asked Ren.

"Not much." sighed Cryzak with regret. "I am afraid that I am unaware of what the artefact really is. All I do know is that it holds unspeakable power that only the Jedi can use."

Ren didn't show any response. He remained as he was, calm and collected. He had to hide his disappointment, for a Guardian of the Whills must not show signs of intolerance or anything near frustration, and remain patient when things do not add up. There was always more to the story than a simple answer. With a slow breath of air, he continued on.

"Do you have any leads? That's why you contacted us, right?"

"Again, very little information, I can offer you." explained Cryzak, based on sources he obtained from other people. "I've received word from a group of smugglers that some rival gangsters had recently stormed a smuggler's den somewhere in the Teth system."

"Teth?" wondered Ren. As far as he read, the jungle world in Wild Space was a Hutt-controlled world, so there was no surprise that some strange business always went on there. Still, he wondered how this was related to the artefact, so he continued to listen to Cryzak on this.

"You know how quiet that planet is, Ren. It's a Hutt world, and those B'omarr temples would make pretty strong fortresses." Agreed, Ren thought. The monasteries that once belonged to the monks of the B'omarr were converted into Hutt palaces, and those that were abandoned afterwards were taken over by either wild animals or other shady characters like pirates or mercenaries. Those palaces were like in-built mazes, any force that entered them were forced into a frantic search for enemies, and those corridors and small rooms would become primary spots for ambush.

"And you suppose the artefact is in one of those palaces?" continued Ren.

"The smugglers I overheard from had friends there. He said that there was an attack, and that one of the survivors was told that, among their cargo stolen, was a sacred Jedi relic." stated Cryzak. "He didn't know what it was, but apparently, the thugs now have it and since then, they have left with it, along with all their other cargo."

Ren held in his urge to curse again. Once again, a lead slipping away from his grasp. Again, he needed to keep a calm mind and free himself of negative emotions. This quest had to be done at the best of his capability and make do of the change of fates.

"That will complicate things." Cupping his fingers at his lips, he pondered over what to do with this turn of events. "Do you at least know who these gangsters are?"

"I'm afraid that is where the leads end, my friend." admitted Cryzak. Ren felt that the trail had been severed. Without any sign of where these raiders may have fled to, there was no way of knowing how to follow up next. The only thing he could do was investigate whatever was left of the Teth complex, depending on his own skills and instincts to guide him to his destination afterwards. As a Guardian, he was to be insightful of any potential finding around him. Whether they be small clues or big giveaways, he had the Force to direct his path. Finally, he had his answer; he was to go to the planet and look there, find any leads that could send him to the artefact and pursue. With his mind and weapons at the ready, he would be prepared to meet heavy resistance.

"Then, I must make for Teth immediately." agreed Ren. "Thank you for your help, Cryzak."

"Farewell, Lie Ren." the Rodian informant waved his hand, proceeding to walk off to who knew where the city would take him. "May the Force be with you." Bowing to each other as they separated, Ren walked the opposite direction away from the patio and back into the busy city, just as the crowd spread into the streets and the business of nightly activities begin.

After his meeting, Ren reached the middle of one such street, close to one of the local casinos where the richest minds truly come together to waste their fortunes on petty games. He scoffed at such a crude way to spend your money with. Temptation was always the evil sin that plagued the galaxy, whether it'd be for power or wealth.

All his life as a Guardian, he only got to witness and fight against street or resolve arguments between two sides peacefully. Now, here, in the city of Canto Bight, he was looking at the worst that greed and temptation had to offer. There were so many people in the galaxy who needed money for supplementary aid and survival, yet these esteemed officials and figures of popularity and wealth spend all their money on stupid games than actual crises that could help make the galaxy a better place to be in.

This was why when Phest told him to come here to find his informant, he hoped he wouldn't be here long, disgusted by the lavish lifestyles these extravagant people wished to live in. However, fate was about to prolong his distasteful time here in Canto Bight.

"Hey, you!" Ren was called by a voice with a gruff tone. Startled by the rough sound, he was about to pull out his daggers to face the possible threat that loomed. As he shifted, he turned to find a large Dowutin patron of a nearby bar, bulky and clumsy-looking with three horns growing out of his chin. He walked towards Ren, looking bothered and slightly agitated, as if he was about to threaten the human. One look of his face, however, and Ren felt that he was not really in a mood to attack anyone. After further inspection, he calmed, moving his hands away from his daggers to address the patron in a proper manner.

"Can I help you?" asked Ren, welcoming the Dowutin's presence, if not, with a little caution.

"I wouldn't go in there if I were you." The pedestrian flashed his thumb towards the nearby building behind him, on the other side of the road.

The building, lit up with some of the brightest neon and decorated with the finest of walls, had a large entrance lobby with a wide flight of stairs leading into the interior. Judging by the numerous rich people coming in and out with usual symptoms of betting their worth on something, he could tell that the building was the location of a big casino inside; a place that was always a cauldron for chaos and violence. Since the Dowutin was gracious enough to warn Ren of not going in there, he had a feeling there was a good reason why.

"Some crazy human woman just barged right in and punched a fellow gambler inside." explained the patron. Crazy human woman, Ren thought. Why was he not surprised that it had to be Nora…?

"Did she happen to have orange hair?" he asked, which he thought was needless. The Dowutin nodded, confirming to him the whereabouts of his ever wandering companion.

"And a mighty temper. I wouldn't want to mess with her, I'll tell you first!" Afterwards, the patron walked off, heading off to some dark corner to the street or wherever his distorted mind may take him next. For Ren, however, he knew all too well that there was no walking away from the disaster that seemed to be looming in the casino. One he was all too familiar to encounter some time of the day.

"Nora…"

* * *

Booster Tooth's Golden Casino,

Canto Bight,

Cantonica,

Corporate Sector,

Outer Rim,

A casino at night was always the highlight of Canto Bight's grand spectacle of business. Right within the centre of attention, hundreds would turn up, walking atop the soft, red carpets and doing everything they could to have a good time.

Citizens from across the galaxy would come here to engage in some of the most extravagant activities you could find in the Corporate Sector. People dressed in the most stylish of wardrobes would show off their glamorous image to each other and converse about all the greater things in life. Drinks were always handed out to everyone, with different types of beverages available for every single species present in the casino. The main attractions, however, were the tens of different types of games playable by all who could afford real credits to gamble away. Even better, you could even take it to the stands and bet on the ever-thrilling fathier races that always take place at the peak of casino activity.

It was always a heck of a good time for people to gather here. If you had loads of money, you were always welcome. Strangely enough, they always seem to hire movie directors to make scenes here to showcase their grand activities. That, however, only seemed to result in wasted material or unnecessary filler stories that their movies could do without.

It was all fun and games for everyone, but for one girl, she was having too much of it.

"Ah, _chubba_." At one corner of the casino, a simple game of sabacc was commencing, dealt with by a renowned Dug gambler who easily beat all five of his opponents, including one wayward amateur. "It seems you've lost your round." While all the other players took their losses with disdained groans or sighed for renewed chances for another round, one of the contestants was not taking the loss so well.

"No fair! You cheated!" Nora nearly jumped up from the table to tackle the startled Dug, and probably would have done so if she wasn't already put down in her place by two large Gamorrean bodyguards. The Dug simply brushed his newly won money to his side without caring for Nora's 'opinion'. While cheating may be a common occurrence, it didn't seem to bother the rest of the gamers.

After being resisted by the guards, Nora decided that enough was enough. She had to go for another round to teach this punk a lesson. When she dug into her pockets for more money, however, she came up with nothing. She gasped at noticing the lack of available credits for her desire next round. The Dug noticed her plight and smirked, shaking his head as a show of mockery.

"Sorry, lady." The dealer made a couple of tsk sounds with his tongue. "But no money, no game." Defeated and broke, Nora finally succumbed to the loss. She shook off the grips of the Gamorreans holding her down, giving them dark stares before storming off in a fuss.

The bitterness of the losses she took were almost enough to take her hammer out and bash everyone in sight. Perhaps, she was about to take that chance and probably wanted to run back to her ship to finally grab her weapon and slam that stinky old Dug. If only her good luck charm was close by, which **he** wasn't… "Thanks a lot, Ren…"

Poor Nora, she thought. All her life, she wanted to live the big city life, experience the greatest that the casino had to offer. But all she was given was a rude reception from some shady dealer who she accused of cheating.

Just when she was about to leave, she then bumped into someone. who stopped her at the shoulder with her own hand. Nora stopped her mood swing to look at the girl who stopped her, laying eyes upon a young blonde girl who gave her a knowing smile over her loss in a game. This large golden-haired girl, with a busty build with the outfit to match, just wrapped her arm around Nora and pointed at the Dug who did her bad. Nora didn't know how to react when this girl she'd only met for a few seconds just grabbed her in a friendly manner and led her back to the table.

"You losin' to this sleemo?" pointed Yang Xiao Long. Nora couldn't help but express her frustration at that slimeball for beating her 'till she was out of cash.

"Yeah!" groaned Nora. Even if this girl had just known her for a brief moment, she knew she was someone to rally with against the dreaded gambler. "I call 'fraud' on him! Let's go break his legs!" However, Yang stopped her, twiddling her finger to stop the Jedha native from making a scene without necessity.

"I got this." Yang winked as she motioned for Nora to walk with her to the table, with the orange-haired girl hesitant to look at that dirty Dug for his evil deeds. Still, Yang led her back, with one hand on Nora's back while her other had the briefcase filled with her new credits from her spice deal. With that grand total of money, she was about to show how much this bad girl was going to play.

As soon as the two reached the table, the Dug was just beginning to deal the cards to his players, shuffling the deck for another round of sabacc. He took notice of Nora's presence and shook his head, chuckling that she decided to come back again with no chance of even playing. Luckily for Nora, she had an unexpected trump card.

She wanted to make some more trouble with the Dug, but she then saw Yang walking casually right in front of her. The blonde brawler just smoothly took the very same spot Nora was at, shifting the chair and coolly sat herself down without ever asking. Everyone's eyes were focused on this young, hot chick sitting down at the table, presumably ready to play.

"This seat taken?" Yang asked. Soon, everyone returned to their posts, except for one Weequay gambler, who still had his eyes on Yang's physique. He watched her from the side, admiring that attractive body of hers. When the Dug shuffled the deck, Yang just rested her chin on her without being bothered by the suggestive gaze of the Weequay next to her.

Then, her head turned to look at her competition, noticing the dazed look on his face. When he saw her looking at him, he quickly went stiff, startled and quickly looking away. Yang followed by leaning towards him, flicking his nose and making him even more jumpy.

"No looking, lover boy." she teased seductively. The Weequay seemed to become nervous after her sweet gesture. Suddenly, his thoughts were suddenly shut out when a powerful force banged the back of his head, nearly crashing him onto the table.

"Yeah!" Nora smacked the Weequay at the back of his head. A slap that was so hard that the gambler could have sworn he'd been slammed by an anvil. That would sure get him to look at the game instead of the lovely girl next to him.

As the Dug was ready to deal the cards out, he laid eyes on Yang sitting so relaxed on her chair, leaning her body forward while waiting for him to give them out.

"How much would it be?" The Dug asked coarsely. While everyone threw in their money in forms of different currencies or even items of value, Yang grinned, eagerly waiting for the crowd to throw in their cash for the dramatic effect. Nora watched impatiently at the blonde, wondering why she was taking her sweet time while tapping her foot with excitement.

When everyone was done withdrawing their bets, Yang was the last to deliver hers, and she did it the best way she did. She dug through her pocket and grabbed a few of the chips of credits she took out earlier from her case before announcing to the other players of her amount, with the grin still on her face.

"One thousand credits." She drew her credits out into the pile, stunning everyone, even Nora. The stack of ten gold chips instantly thrilled the other players and, especially the Dug. This was the biggest anyone had wagered tonight. The drive to win this lot was tense among them all, but Yang kept her cool and stayed confident throughout.

"You sure you wanna bet this much?" the Dug asked inquisitively. "It's not too late to back out, especially when I'm playing." Winking again, Yang didn't back down from her bet, choosing to play ahead with it.

"I'm feeling lucky today." She laid back, resting her back on the chair and waited for the cards to play in her favour. Finally, after confirming her count, the Dug dealer began to swish the cards around. Card by card, some of the patrons, including Yang, waited, while a select few immediately picked up the card that was dealt. When the cards were all dealt, the dealer finished up with the last card for Yang, snarling at her.

"Here's your hand."

"Oh, that's okay!" chuckled Yang. "I have two of mine." Waving her hands, she looked around to see if anyone else got the joke. Nope. Once again, everyone, not even Nora, who was only smiling, didn't let out a giggle or snicker. "Never mind." Afterwards, the game began as Yang took up her cards and played out the game.

Meanwhile, Nora watched Yang from behind. Without courtesy for the game, she also peeked behind the cards of the Weequay. She could see the faces of his deck and was about to help Yang out by whispering to her ear. Who cared if she cheated? This whole game was rigged; she knew it herself. Justice shall be served!

But then, as she was about to tell Yang, a hand stopped her from moving to her, quickly making her turn around in a panic to smash her would-be attacker. Who she found was not the face of an assaulter or some other loser who would dare to attack her, but the face of the best man she could ever be with. She was about to cheer for her friend's arrival, but Ren immediately cut her off, almost frustrated over her presence in this casino.

"Nora." groaned Ren, disappointed that Nora hadn't been listening to him on a very important mission detail; never raise any high profile. "What do you think you're doing? You know that the authorities will be out to arrest you if this keeps up." He pointed out the violent attitude Nora had unleashed upon the casino just a few minutes ago.

"Awww! But Ren…!" whined Nora, about to tell him that she only wanted some fun. Ren, however, did not want any of it, hushing Nora with a finger to his lips.

"We'll talk about this later." whispered Ren, not wanting to gather any more attention to themselves. "Right now, we have to make sure we don't get enough attention to ourselves." Seeing no other way to convince her best friend, Nora gave in, groaning in defeat over the fun of the casino now over for her.

"Fine…" She slumped her body forward before being led out the building by Ren. The Guardian kept his face hidden from everyone around him, hoping his unique colours on his hair wouldn't attract the crowd, all while making sure Nora didn't run away this time. That meant holding her hand throughout the way out, pulling the girl and preventing her from escaping. It did feel odd though; for a girl who tried to venture off in almost every occasion, Nora didn't seem to try and break free from his grip. However, he didn't have time to wonder why. He was more focused on getting out of the casino and leave this corrupted system. The two of them soon left the gigantic room of games and tricks, leaving behind Yang to continue her game in peace.

The blonde brawler hadn't notice Nora's absence, but she was more into the game than her surroundings. She could turn around and make friends later; she had a game to win. Her eyes were on her cards, scanning for the available options for her play.

 **(A/N~ Be advised, I am not entirely sure about how the game of sabacc is played, so I'm going to go for a simpler version based on how I used to play a card game and use whatever info I do have on sabacc as I can. If you know how)**

Around her, the other players were also shifting through their cards with high hopes that their hands could get them all that cash on the table. They all peered over each other, taking glances at each other's expressions when taking their cards while waiting for the first person to add more to their hand.

Yang kept her eyes on the numbers of her own hand. Three cards with a number on the top left that had to be added up. Counting up, Yang deduced the odds of winning. A grin of her confidence was on her face, a sign of victory in her eyes.

The game went on, as players picked up cards or, in the case of the few, stayed their course and remained confident with their initial hand, including Yang. One by one, they locked in their values after adding more cards. The next phase of the game commenced as some of the players began to draw out their cards, confirming their places.

After a good amount of players drew, the Dug dealer was about to draw out his cards. Everyone's focus was on his hand, for he decided the outcome of the match. Anyone higher than his hand, they get the money waged; lower than that and their money went to him. After evaluating his options, he laid down his cards, facing them up for all to see.

"Pure Sabacc!" All at once, the entire board of players wailed and moaned in defeat as a Pure Sabacc, the value of twenty-three was played. Nothing could beat a full hand of that number, no matter how high or low their values were. Soon, the whole table was in an uproar for another unfair win from the Dug, who waited to see everyone's reactions before getting the full pile of money he won. Some of the other players stood up and left, while others just stayed and watched hopelessly before another round.

Then, suddenly, they saw that one of them hadn't move, still holding onto her cards. The Dug grinned at the sight of Yang unable to see that the odds were against her. Yet, she remained where she was, looking at her three cards available for her.

"You know there's only one hand that can beat a Pure Sabacc, right?" explained Yang. The crowd was watching with thrilling interest, plainly amazed that she was not out of the fight yet. The Dug was slightly startled by how she said the words to him, looking like she had something in her hand. It had to be a joke; his winning streak hadn't broken for a month and he was not about to lose to this blonde stranger.

"And that hand is a one-in-a-million shot." laughed the Dug. "You should realize that there's never a single time anyone has played it with me. The money's all mine." As he rubbed his long lip barb, Yang stared at him with the same cocky grin before she decided to throw in her cards to confirm what she had.

"Don't be so sure." At last, she threw them up. The masses looked upon the cards she had taken and saw the outcome of the match. All at once, the crowd gasped in shock. Out there, with Yang's three cards, they couldn't believe what was placed.

The three cards in a row, and the numbers were zero, two and three. A perfect score against the Pure Sabacc played against her.

"Idiot's Array." Yang announced with cool glee, her legs crossed and resting on the table in a victorious smirk. The crowd cheered at the sudden luck of this newcomer who pulled an Idiot's Array out of nowhere. They gathered around the human girl, praising her all the way, which Yang The stunned Dug was on the verge of collapsing in a fit upon seeing his opponent's cards.

Yang reached over the middle of the table to collect the money she won, stashing it all in two cases before getting up from her seat and heading for the nearby bar to finish the night with a drink.

"It's been fun, ladies and gentlemen!" she bid the cheering crowd farewell with a salute, going off to enjoy her night's celebration over an additional tens of thousands of credits won. Suddenly, when she walked past the crowd, she noticed that the orange-haired girl was nowhere to be found.

"Huh? Where's that crazy girl?" Her head scanned around for any sign of her, but alas, the crowd was too huge for her to be seen. She shrugged her shoulders, choosing to let her go. Maybe she just wanted to go elsewhere and do something else. Oh well, it's her choice.

For now, Yang was alone to celebrate her win. Perhaps one night in the hotel could help cool her nerves before she would travel to Kintan to meet with Gorga the Hutt. She thought about the odds of getting the cards needed for her victory, imagining how amazed she was on the odds of getting the right hand.

The problem was that, unknown to many, her cards were not as perfect as they were meant to be. In fact, Yang had a very secret way of winning a game of sabacc, thanks to a very special trick.

Her wrist held the answer. Her three fingers bent back to her palm as she stroked on the worn tool around her wrist, which was a small metal frame that was wide enough to hold… let's say, a sabacc card, like the very one she needed to play the Idiot's Array? Within that sneaky tool, there was another one of the cards she initially took from the Dug, replaced by the very number three card she needed to complete her win.

She knew she shouldn't cheat, but after all she'd been through, she always reminded herself; when has playing fair ever worked in this side of the Outer Rim? The Rim itself was a hodgepodge of sneaky beings and petty crooks, always out to lie and cheat their way to their goals. How was the Corporate Sector any better? In fact, it may be the very centre of deceit and corrupt ideals in the galaxy.

It'd be best to just sit down and enjoy before the daunting trip to Hutt Space, relax and soak in that luxurious Canto Bight air and live off the day. She just needed to make sure that she had enough for Gorga when the time came.

* * *

Once their time was done, Ren and Nora left the casino and went back out in the city. By now, the whole street was covered with people everywhere, crowding outside the building for a chance to gamble their own fortunes or simply hang out with others.

Ren was just itching to leave the planet, feeling like he overstayed his welcome. Of course, Nora felt the entire opposite, wanting more of the city life. Despite her insistence to stay behind, there was no point trying to convince her headstrong friend to remain. He **really** needed to leave this planet. No amount of training could ever teach him to be patient at the very heart of corruption and ill will. They reached the other end of the street opposite the casino, in between two fountains before they stopped to rest.

"So, have you found that fancy artefact yet?" Nora asked aloud. Ren hurriedly silenced her by gently pointing his finger at her.

"Not so loud, Nora." warned Ren. "We don't want anyone to hear about it."

"Oh, right." exclaimed Nora. She then decided to switch the subject and talk about something that would favour Ren more, considering that her own desires were thrashed. "So, where's the next destination?" Ren gave her a soft smile, glad that she was already getting over leaving the planet.

"Our informant has mentioned that the artefact was taken by smugglers and was hidden in a temple somewhere in Teth. But the temple had been ransacked by gangsters and the artefact had been taken with them."

"So, we're going all the way to Hutt Space." sighed Nora. She couldn't wait for the two hours of hyperspace travel from Jedha to Cantonica, so the extra four-hour trip to Teth, deep within Wild Space, was going to bore her to death. She really wished they could use a faster ship to get there, not to mention that Nora had already used up her money on the gambling, which could have also angered Ren for wasting their shared cash.

Fortunately, Ren wasn't too disappointed in their lack of credits. He just had to worry about the mission and could always find other ways to earn money to sustain themselves. All they had to worry now was to make it to their ship before the authorities could seize it. For all they knew, their ship would be considered 'illegal' by the government, due to how outdated it would look compared to other more prestigious ships in the city.

With no time to waste, they left the street to rush to their transport. Along the way, they passed through any civilian without stop, ignoring any possible interaction with the population.

* * *

After sobering up from a fresh drink of jogan brew from the casino bar, Yang left the building, heading for the spaceport to find a pilot to bribe and send her to Kintan. Within one of the circular docking bays, she could find a smuggler's ship that might be able to brave the trip.

Luckily, when she got to one of those bays, a few robed men, assumed to be Ihtorian monks who went to prayers at a planet near Kintan, were just about to board a tourist shuttle that could take them back home. That was Yang's ticket out of Cantonica. All she had to do was walk up to one of the monks and ask them for help. Maybe if they were generous enough, they wouldn't mind sending her to Hutt Space for free. With two cases loaded with money, she wouldn't be able to worry about costs anyway.

Yang had a few stacks of chips in her pockets for convenience, dropping the two cases of money down somewhere she could see them. Then, she walked towards the monks to hitch a ride out of the city.

"You there! Stop!" Suddenly, she was caught off guard when a loud cry forced her to stop in her tracks. Turning around, she saw two armoured men running up to her. They both had their blasters in hand, telling her that they were from the Canto Bight Police Force, part of the Corporate Sector's corrupt security forces.

"Oh boy." she sighed. Her flight was about to leave and now, all of a sudden, these two guards were onto her. The only problem was that she didn't do anything wrong, at least not on the books of the city law, whatever it might have been. She could only hide her frustration over the delay and face the guards before she could move on.

"Are you Yang Xiao Long?" the first guard asked. Yang was about to retort when the second officer interrupted her.

"Then, you better come with us. We have orders to have you arrested." Surprised, Yang couldn't possibly know what crime she had committed this time. She didn't punch anyone earlier today. She didn't attempt to swindle or seduce anyone important. Nothing that she would usually do in other parts of the underworld would have justified their attempts of arrest.

"Me? Why?" Yang asked, baffled at her apparent arrest.

"It seems you have upset a friend of the Governor, and he wants you in custody." Yang didn't know what she could have done to provoke the Governor. Heck, she didn't even know the guy, much less even done anything in the Corporate Sector that could warrant her imprisonment. Yet, she had to remember who else she may have pissed off who could be a friend of the Governor. The list of possible suspects was probably too big or unknown for her to find out, but she may have a few guesses.

Unfortunately, there was no time for answers. She was about to face the possibility of being locked up in a Canto Bight prison cell if she didn't comply. She had to use the usual method to slip through the guards' clutches.

"It's cool, boys." She waved to them with a hand to her right hip. "I might have something that could change your mind." She then dug into her pocket to take out the three thousand credits that could help bribe them off. A small price to pay when you already have about seventeen thousand credits in your cases.

The officers seemed to be intrigued, just as Yang predicted. However, they still persisted in capturing her.

"That ain't enough." informed the officer with a hint of interest. "Perhaps cough up more, and we'll let you go, sweetheart." Gladly, Yang walked towards the spot where she hid her two cases, behind a few power generators. She just needed enough credits to use, hiding the cases from the officers' sights, in case they would try and see how much money she truly had and make their demands bigger.

She made her way to the hiding spot and open up the cases to grab her money. When she made it over, she found something very troubling. Peering over the generators, she grew suddenly shocked that all the money she had earned from her spice deal and her card game… were all gone.

"Oh no!" she gasped. "My money!" She looked all over the place, overcome with instant panic after losing the very thing that would not only save her from the officers, but also from Gorga's wrath. She could only feel the anguish in her body boil up, but then, her attention was grabbed by the officers. Faced with a sudden dilemma, she had no time to improvise and tried to find a new way to reason with them.

"Look, guys…" But as she spoke, the guards had nothing more to say. They had enough of her babbling and moved to arrest her, grabbing her arm.

"That's it." warned the officer. "You're coming with us." They had their blasters aimed at her. Yang was getting really furious by how they were trying to catch her, and was about to try and break free from their grip and make a run for it, but two blasters aiming at her, it wasn't going to end well if she tried.

Oh well, nothing ever ends well with her, so who gave a damn? She released herself from the guards' grips and bashed their heads together, knocking them unconscious. Just when she thought she was in the clear, though, a few more guards from afar were alerted to what happened.

"Get her!" Yang ran for cover behind the yacht, which the Ithorians were scrambling to run into after hearing the chaos begin. They came in a squad of four, aiming their blasters at Yang and began firing their weapons right at her. Immediately, she shifted behind the yacht, just before it would take off. Blaster bolts bounced off the thick walls of the ship, giving the brawler protection to arm her weapons.

The officers hid behind crates and other obstacles to shield them from any incoming fire. Yang loaded her weapons and began firing back, shooting out her shrapnel rounds on the guards. A firefight ensued in the docking bay, with both sides trading shots. Unfortunately, for Yang, she was out of grenade rounds for her guns, forcing her to rely on the shrapnel rounds to keep them at bay until she could find a way to escape.

* * *

Just as they were about to leave into their ship in another bay, Ren and Nora were suddenly alerted to loud blasting noises happening at the nearby docking bay, where Yang was busy fighting against a bunch of damn guards. The chaotic noises of battle suddenly spooked anyone else around to flee the area. It was only the two of them who stood still and calmly.

"We should go and help!" suggested Nora out loud, mainly as an excuse to do some real fun with her hammer. Again, Ren refused against her decision, putting his needs on the mission.

"No, Nora." said Ren. "We can't be involved in local affairs when we have a mission to finish."

"But Ren!" insisted Nora again. "Someone needs our help!"

"You just want to smash some people, don't you?" sighed Ren, knowing Nora's tendency to go around bashing people to suit her happiness.

"No!" Nora huffed, turning around with her arms crossed with a pout to her cheeks. But then, her expression started to wane into a guilty look, sheepishly pushing her fingers together. "Okay… maybe a little…"

"I'm sorry, Nora, but we have to leave." Ren soon turned away, not willing to stay around for the troubles of a usual Cantonican night. Watching him leave, Nora couldn't stand listening to Ren tell her what she could or couldn't do. Finally, she had to put her foot down and show him that she ain't just another wild beast.

She stared at him with crossed eyes, with a temper that Ren had not seen in her in such a long time. Her body gave off a hint of that 'Nora' energy that was more of anger than overexcited joy. Since he hadn't face that kind of Nora in a long while, he almost felt… weird?

"Why are you looking at me like that?" asked Ren with awkward uncertainty on how to react.

"Okay! That's it." shouted Nora, fed up of being bossed around. "If you won't help, then I will!"

"Nora…"

"Nope! Not a word, Renny!" Nora interrupted, going all out against her partner. "A fellow gal is in trouble, and I'm gonna help. So, if you will excuse me, I'm going! With, or without you." The last sentence came off as a warning, slowly trying to force Ren into accepting her resolve and, with the highest hopes, that he would come and help eventually. However, she saw Ren's face turning to that serious staring one that was about to tell her that she would do no such thing. Despite his tense stare, she was not going to give in this time. She was going to have her fun, no matter how much it would kill them both.

Ren then spoke, Nora expecting the obvious answer from him, about to let him have it at her before she would fight back.

"Alright then. You're on your own, then." Nora blinked.

"Huh?!" Her mouth was agape with stunned silence when she heard him not only allow her to do her thing, but, conversely, let her go alone. That was not what she had in mind. She actually didn't want to smash some bad guys by herself, so when Ren decided to split from her, she was overcome by utter disappointment. What was worse was how calm he was when telling her off, almost as if he was grateful she was leaving him!

"If you're so sure, then please, be my guest." insisted Ren, before pushing Nora in the forehead with his finger with a smile. "I bid you luck on your journey, Nora. May the Force be with you."

"But… but…" Before Nora could say anything, Ren was already walking into his ship, leaving his companion stuttering with disbelief. The door of the ship then shut itself, further proving that Ren meant to leave her to go save someone while he would go flying off to his mission. "Oh, come on!" Her screams seemed to have gone unheard for about a minute before she realized that he did indeed intend on leaving her. She wanted to kick butt and take names, but she didn't want to do it by herself. She always felt that Ren needed to be there for her. She could always have that someone special to back her up, but sadly, not today. Ren had had enough of her antics.

Nora was fed up of her partner, worse than she'd ever felt about him for a long time. As she waited for any sign of second thoughts from him, she could only see the door closed, but the engines hadn't start up, knowing that Ren would expect her to change her mind.

No! Not this time, she thought. There was no way she was going to miss out on actual fun. So, with a gruff face and the sticking of her tongue out, she grabbed her hammer and walked off, leaving Ren behind. It did hurt, though, having to leave him to do something that she wanted to do without his bossiness. But it had to be done; she was going to have her way in life, with… or without Ren.

Meanwhile, Ren was already seated inside the ship's cockpit, locking onto the coordinates for Teth and preparing to depart this wretched planet to fulfil his mission to reclaim the lost artefact. He was not going to let any more setbacks stop or distract him from preserving these lost relics and preventing them from falling to the wrong hands, not even the hyperactive need for adventure that his comrade was craving for.

Setting the dials up to activate the ship's systems, he was about to make the run and start off without Nora. As he plotted his course, he could feel her absence, coming off as complete silence without her voice constantly reminding him that she was always up to something around him, to not hear her complain over how boring he and his adventures were.

All that noise, he felt, was finally gone, allowing to focus on the more important matters. And yet, somehow, within that cold and calm façade of his, he couldn't but feel something… off.

All this time he took preparing the ship for take-off, he had not even begun to start the engines. For some reason, he felt, there was something not right with the scene around him. His mysterious hesitance to move had prompted to wait for Nora, as if he was giving her the chance to board? He wondered what was making him stop; what was making him stay put knowing that Nora was outside waiting for him?

He looked to the viewport and saw that his companion had just left the bay, stomping out with her hammer and going to join the fight. For once, Ren sighed, not out of pity for her dire need for action, but rather, how he was going to… miss her? Sure, she would know her way around the galaxy, having travelled to parts unknown before, but there was something missing from her that he felt was a tad bit awkward and incomplete.

He shook his head, dismissing what he felt about her absence. If she was going to go on without him, then he wasn't going to stop him from completing his mission. Besides, she was capable of venturing around; she would return to Jedha all by herself.

Putting his faith in his old friend, he finally prepared the ship to depart, putting aside that empty feeling in the hull and took off. The ship then flew upwards, turning around and aiming for the night sky before zooming into it, leaving Nora behind to deal with her apparent loneliness.

To Teth, Ren would go. He was sure that Nora would find her way back, anyhow.

* * *

After spending about ten minutes fighting the guards, Yang was already pushed back to the very corners of the hangar bay. The ship she used for cover had just left, leaving her with no other backup accept the discarded junk pile she was forced to take cover behind. Right behind her, the officers were already massing up against her, with backup close behind them. At any moment, a few patrol craft will be on their way to pursue her. Backed behind some pile of trash, she was running out of options. Every blast her cover took, it only became smaller, making it more difficult to hide.

The least she could do was fire back, but there was another huge problem to her list. She was already low on ammo, having used it all up on Torchwick's ship and her current shootout. Even if she managed to escape her pursuers, there wouldn't be many places to go to buy the ammunition she needed, as the Canto Bight Police was always on high alert and keeping watch at every nook and cranny of the city.

No place to run, no place to hide. It was the worst possible situation to be in for a smuggler on the run. If her weapons were out of order, there was only one way she had to beat them all up. She had to go in and battle with her own bare fists. That hadn't stop her before, she already done damage to an entire mob even when her weapons ran out of ammo. Dealing with trained security, however, was going to be a challenge.

Her pockets had finally gone empty, her weapons ran dried, her instincts to push her forward for an all-out brawl was driving her to her breaking point. There was only so much she could do to withstand an unfair fight. She edged her body to the side, prepared to jump out and charge at the officers for a brutal beat-down.

 **BOOM!**

Suddenly, she was stopped by a loud explosion. It wasn't anything like a bomb blast or a heavy laser shot. Rather, it was almost like an asteroid crashing onto the hull of a ship. The impact of the blast definitely felt very powerful enough to spur her out of her hiding place. When she came out, a large dust cloud enveloped the area, blocking sight of the officers she was attacked by.

As the cloud faded, Yang saw the very thing that caused the epic blast, only to find that it wasn't a thing. Standing over the cracked impact zone was the tall figure of a woman who carried a mighty hammer that was slammed right into the concrete floor. Once Yang could see better, her eyes widened in surprise to see that the girl was the very same one she met back at the casino. She was also overcome with great ease when seeing that she had also dealt with the officers with one blow, blown away by her immense strength. The blonde brawler ran towards the orange-haired traveller to finally get things started between them.

"Heck, girl!" cheered Yang. "That's one overpowered toy you got there!" Nora made one big grin to show how appreciated she was. Finally, someone was showing some respect for once! Happiness was all she could feel after hearing a compliment after being pushed around by some boring guy who always told her to control herself.

 **BRAM!**

And the fun was just getting started… More blaster fire rocked the scene, forcing the two women to run back behind some more solid cover. Since her weapons were useless against the incoming guards, Yang quickly grabbed one of the security carbines from one of the fallen officers, acting as her temporary firearm until she could get out of this mess. They hid behind a couple of barricades nearby before more officers charged into the fray, firing indiscriminately at them.

Nora slung her hammer behind her back, attaching it to her magnetic holster before swapping for the Merr-Sonn grenade launcher that she packed for the trip as well. Yang was astounded that Nora could carry that much weight and still be as small compared to herself. Nora rose from her hiding place and decided to let the officers of Canto Bight have a dose of some rage-induced screams of hell.

"HERE I COME!" With one cry for battle, Nora fired away, with a burst of three explosive rounds sent hurling towards the officers. All at once, the canisters landed on the ground, all near their feet before setting off a series of explosions. Instead of high-explosive blasts, the grenades blew up pink smoke blasts, mixed with red glittering sparks that were almost painful to the officers as their exposed skins were struck by the glittery strikes.

The remaining officers resumed fire without being disturbed by the puffy blasts and fired back. Yang fired her rifle with equal ferocity with bursts of blue laser fire surging towards the enemy. She tipped over one side of her barricade, shoot once and hide back in before repeating the process to the other side. Years of getting into the worst of fights had prepared her for such hectic shootouts like this. She had no room for mercy when people were definitely bent on ending her reign as the Yellow Rancor. These men were ruining her night and they were going to pay for it.

Together, although they became new acquaintances, Yang knew she had to join forces with this other wild fighter to combat the security forces coming her way. Naturally, she jumped right by Nora's side and the two began blasting away.

The hangar bay was soon turned into a light show of pink and blue as both sides traded shots at each other throughout the circular interior, flashing brightly within the Canto Bight night sky. Nora fired more of her explosive surprises towards the officers as they dispersed for cover or they would be blown off their feet by the non-lethal, but extremely painful force of the knockback. Once done, Yang moved right in and fired up close before to unleash her furious fists, slamming them one by one onto the officers. The officers soon fell one by one as if hit by a massive laser barrage, with puncturing strikes to their bodies completely knocking them off unconscious with a set of destroyed bones and crushed insides.

Worse, Nora decided to join in with her hammer and made no stop on bashing the officers with her hammer. The slow swings of her weapon didn't seem to affect her fighting style, being strong enough to bring that hammer at the right moment to clobber her enemies. Her adrenaline pumped to the max with every moment before a swing, driving her even more hyped for battle. Every smash she did would fuel her excitement tenfold and her blood boiled with every successful hit.

Yang, on the other hand, was a more potent matter. All she wanted was to teach these punks a lesson; never mess with Yang Xiao Long! Her punches were delivered with the same amount of power as Nora's, but with more rapid fire bursts and the satisfaction from beating the boys up was more of a personal matter. She always loved it when the men fall at their knees for her, especially when **she's** the one forcing them herself.

Just then, Nora was done smashing one guy out of the way, watching the body become a ragdoll and sent flying to the wall. She watched with joy at the sight of a bad guy down against the hard concrete with a huge cracked crater to seal the deal.

She was, unfortunately, unaware of the officer that was about to stun her with a patrol baton, electrifying around the cylindrical rod sticking out of the thinner hilt. The man crept up to get a shot, but his attempt was then foiled when he was knocked out by another officer who was flung out of action by Yang.

The brawler had her own round with a few more baton-wielding patrolmen. Each went to swing their weapons at her, but Yang was able to catch them and pulverize the guards with her fists, throwing them out when knocked down from the fight.

A few more officers down and the two girls were just getting started. Their bodies start to sweat profusely after shooting and bashing their way against the enemy, but their hearts were still flaring for battle, reloading their respective weapons and regaining their strengths. Sadly, they seemed to have knocked the whole pack.

Then, out of nowhere, the fun spiked up again as a bright ray of light hovered over the two, revealing a medium-sized hovercraft with two arms that were built like the ones found on a forklift, aiming a pair of small cannons attached on an extension down its hull. The pilot manned the speeder on top, exposed without much protective metal plating.

Yang and Nora eyed each other and nodded, mutually driven to work together to take out the vehicle. As soon as they faced the speeder, it fired its laser cannons, blazing trails of weapon fire surging for them. They both jumped out of the way and retreated underneath the bay's roofs from the incoming attacks.

Yang leaned her back against the wall, not willing to expose herself from the lasers, while also trying to find a way to pin down that speeder and end the threat for her and her new ally to run off. Every time she would try and pop out, the speeder's cannons were already blasting towards her, pinning her back in. With no other way out, she looked to Nora at the other end of the bay, hiding at her own spot.

"Hey!" shouted Yang, catching Nora's attention. "That hammer launch people in the air, right?"

"Yeah!" yelled Nora. "Why?" Yang just gave her a sly smirk while steadying herself to jump out with a plan in mind.

"Send me up there!" At once, Nora got the message. If Yang wanted a lift, then she got her chance. The two waited for the moment where the speeder would have to recharge its weapons. After a few more bursts, they noticed a brief pause of firing, indicating the need in recharging its weapons. Yang dashed out of her spot and ran towards Nora, who placed her hammer down and prepared for her to be launched towards the speeder.

Acting fast, Yang jumped on the very side face of the hammer, looking up at the speeder which was still unable to fire its weapons. Nora looked to Yang with a bit of hesitation, wondering how she and Yang could possibly make this work.

"You sure about this?" Nora asked. "This hammer packs a lot of punch."

"So do I." replied Yang without any regret. She was going to bring that speeder down once and for all. Her fists were clenched as Nora obliged to give Yang the toss she needed. At one strong pull, the hammer-wielder lifted her mighty weapon up and thrust her body around to swing the brawler up in the air. With all her strength, she swung the hardest she ever did, throwing Yang up in the air and shooting her like a bullet towards the speeder.

The blinding spotlight from the speeder did little to stop Yang from aiming her fist towards it. At such surprising speeds, she raced right towards the vehicle and prepared to clobber it to a wrecked pile of junk. The thrill of the force after being swung off from the ground at high speeds pushed her excitement levels to a full-time high, burning up her hair in her bright gold aura and flashing out her red eyes, turning her into a human fireball.

Her fist pulled back before, giving all she had, punched right through the speeder, drilling into its thick metal hull like a sad little droid. The extra power exploding from her body gave her more strength in her punch, causing massive damage to the speeder and practically breaking it apart. After her power punch, she then prepared for a crash landing, setting her sights on some containers down below. Shielding herself with her arms, she braced herself for impact and then crashed right into the stack.

The speeder she took down was sent whirling down to the ground, with the pilot jumping out right before the punch happened. After a while, the craft then plummeted to the ground and exploded, filling the quiet night of the docking bays with a shattering boom that echoed through the streets nearby.

Nora could see the blast from over the walls, seeing Yang fall right down to a bad landing. She ran out to find out if her new friend was alright, heading out the bay and going to where she saw Yang fall. She saw the burning wreckage of the speeder that she crippled up, clobbered into two flaming husks as Nora ran past the totalled craft, heading for the crates that Yang had fallen into.

She checked around the dented containers for the fallen smuggler. Not long after, she found Yang, buried within the wasted crates and barrels before rising up from them. Nora went over to help her up, as the blonde held her head from another painful headache as a result of her burst of power and a bruised body from the fall. Nevertheless, she survived with minimal injuries.

She groaned from the collision, rubbing her forehead with her fingers to ease her stress.

"That…" she mumbled. Then, her mood shifted to a more exhilarated feel, thrilled by how much damage she caused. "…was awesome!"

"Heck yeah!" Nora joined in with the cheers, excited that they had just blasted up an entire squad of officers all by themselves. Yang put her hands to her hips, impressed over the fighting skills of this otherwise wacky warrior.

"Not bad." complimented Yang, punching Nora in the arm. To her surprise, the hit didn't seem to affect the girl at all, as she returned the gesture with double the power, just enough to knock Yang off her own feet. Ouch, now that one really hurt… "Hehehe. You really know how to pack a punch." She rubbed her shoulder where Nora hit her, sheepishly grinning to avoid any hard feelings from showing.

"And you!" Nora bellowed with never-ending excitement. "That was the most whacked out thing I've ever seen! Can you teach me how to glow like that?!"

Yang's body flinched. She snapped at herself mentally for letting her inner power be exposed to the adrenaline rush from flying into the air. She knew she couldn't help herself, but she still cursed at herself for unleashing her rage at such an inappropriate moment. Whatever she did was not meant to be shown unless she really needed to.

She shrugged her shoulders and sighed. Supposedly, it was for the best that she took out a fully protected speeder high in the air. She probably would have just grabbed onto the speeder as planned and throw the driver out, so she could hijack it for herself, in case of any further attacks. In the end, she had to deal with what had happened and make do from there. As for Nora's question, she had to remove herself from the topic before it went hot.

"Uh…" she stuttered. "That's sort of a secret."

"Awww…" Nora moaned with disappointment.

Now that the situation was defused for now, Yang had to return to the pressing matter at hands. Her money was missing; she had just left there for only a minute and the next instant she checked, it was all gone. Two full cases of credits earned from a grand adventure, vanished in the blink of an eye. It couldn't be an accident, for the hiding spot where she hid her goods were left untouched, as if the cases were slipped up from the spot and left without a trace.

An angered Yang gritted her teeth, fists pressed in and slammed to each other. Vivid to the core, she was all eager to find out who in Malachor took her prized possessions and dared to get away with it.

"I was sure I had my money with me." she growled, one fist rubbing against her other palm, with visions of the thief being grinded within that very fist. "I swear, if I find the sleemo who took my money, I'll tear him to shreds!"

"Yeah! Break his legs!" Suddenly, Nora jumped in and cheered, shouting her own desire to see the troublemaker suffer in pain for his deeds. Yang was almost surprised by how enthusiastic she was in dealing with the scum, sharing the fun of hurting whoever dared to make her day.

She then thought about the new turn of events on her part. This could be good for her. All her time, she had always acted alone in her numerous tirades across the galaxy. But when it truly counted or out of desperation, she would have to rely on others to get her out of her troubles or help her get to where she needed to go and get what she wanted.

However, the woman she was being accompanied with was a living bomb who would blow up and smash things at the slightest second, as seen during her round with the officers. If Yang didn't need to have all the attention directed at her, Nora would spoil her chances for a clean win and the stakes would be high as more criminal organizations would catch sight of their activities. She had to consider the risks of taking her along for the ride.

At the end, she was starting to feel obliged to the chance for backup. Perhaps it was time to offer up a small spot to wreak havoc to whoever was foolish enough to steal from Yang Xiao Long. Her burst of energy and Nora's grand explosive firepower combined would be a force unstoppable by most. So, she decided to let the wild woman come aboard on her quest to get back her money, wherever it may be.

"I like your attitude, girl." she praised with the snap of her fingers. Nora's eyes shined, leaning her body towards Yang and expectantly waited for more to be said. "Maybe we can work something out, after all." Nora's intrigue grew even more, fidgeting at the idea of more stuff to do. "Tell me, Nora, right? Are you interested in a little adventure?"

"Am I ever?!" exclaimed Nora with the greatest of cheers.

"Then, I would like to bargain with you." proposed Yang. "Two hundred credits for safe passage to my next course." At this point, Nora's excitement was driven to a halt. If Yang was going to ask her for a ship to where she wanted to go, then she was out of luck.

"Uh…" Nora nervously chuckled. "About that…"

"You don't have a ship, do you?" Yang deadpanned.

"Not anymore." admitted Nora as she swept the ground with her tip of her boot.

"Well, that sucks." sighed Yang.

However, all was not lost. Apparently, as she dug through her pocket, she managed to dig up some gold chips from inside. After all the fighting she went through, she almost forgot about the few chips she tried to use to bribe those officers. With that in mind, she could still move on and make use of what little she had left; just a few credits and a totally whacked out partner. "But you do have some nasty firepower, so I'll keep you with me."

"Sweet!" Nora's spirit rose back to her usual level as she gripped Yang in a bear hug. "Thank you!" Yang felt a combination of shock and pain from the deadly embrace of this otherwise smaller woman. Even she couldn't handle the pressure from such a rough squeeze like this, and it was already slowing crushing her to death.

"Okay… you can let go now!" Nora did so, leaving Yang to slowly breathe heavily from the hug. Nora just stood there like nothing happened, smiling ever so innocently. After earning a brief stare from Yang, the blonde brawler decided to forget the stress and move on to the bigger picture. "Right. Enough stalling. We have to find my money. And whoever's takin' it, they'll pay… Big time." With the slamming of her fist into her hand, she vowed to find the perpetrator who messed with the wrong girl.

After such a night of havoc and betrayal for both women, they marched off from the scene before more reinforcements arrived from the police. They could already hear the sirens coming for them and backup was sure to be heavier than before, so there was no point fighting back. They had to find a transport and fast before they could be overwhelmed.

They would find their way out of the planet, but once they were out, the hunt for Yang's money would begin. Now the chased was about to be the chaser. Yang had to find those credits, or she would be left without a means to escape Gorga the Hutt's wrath. Sooner or later, every bounty hunter would be after her head.

Nora, on the other hand, would get to feel the thrill of adventure once more. This time, without Ren to bother her around. She would be able to do a whole lot of things without him anyway. If she was such a bother to him, then why hold back now?

She was sure he would be fine without her too, right?

Probably…

For better or worse, no matter what the path had in store for them, the two new partners would go around the galaxy to get what they wanted, and Ren would be off finding whatever the Guardians and Disciples wished from him.

Everyone would be happy… almost…


	21. Call of the Wild

**A/N~ Just to remind you guys, based on a review from chapters before, I will be adding the creatures of Grimm in the story. However, for now, these creatures will be made into new living creatures instead of being soulless apparitions. This was a little fun idea I had to expand the fusion between RWBY and Star Wars. It's a little something I've decided to build upon, and I will be adding a creature's guide for all of the beasts inspired by the RWBY Grimm.**

 **However, I have plans for the Grimm itself… coming quite late, of course…**

 **Overall, this is going to be a bigger chapter than most, but I need to stop splitting up the chapters and commit to full ones. Also, this chapter also begins a nice little place on for the creatures that inspired the Grimm in RWBY to become actual animals.**

 **Reviews**

 **CT7567Rules:**

 **Rex and Ahsoka will appear in later chapters, of course! I don't want to leave out two of my faves from the Clone Wars! Umbara, however, that might be left for debate…**

 **And as always, thanks to blackwing95, Sani2341, CT7567Rules and deadtim49 for favourting the story!**

 **I know it's been quite a while since I updated, but I've finally ended my first job, so now, I should have time to update more frequently now.**

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Call of the Wild**

 **The Force influences every living thing in the galaxy, shaping nature at its will, even in times of dire events.**

 _Trapped in an ambush!_

 _Republic forces begin their attack on the swamp world of Marthon, after the planet's leaders side with Count Dooku and his Separatist cause._

 _Called to lead the clone armies in a counter assault on the planet, Jedi Generals Kenta Barak and Ruby Rose are dispatched to assist the ground forces in the desperate battle to repulse the Separatist army._

 _But as heavy rains continue to pour down, their movements are bogged down in the thick of both the mud and the battle._

* * *

Marthon,

Azermoth System,

Outer Rim Territories,

Rainfall trickled down on the muddy surface of the mangrove forest floor, dripping onto the already flooded puddles of swamp water that signaled the start of the rainy season. The rain continued to fall onto the dense cluster of trees where the leaves catch most of the falling drops, leaving a little to dampen the ground.

The mangroves were not as abundant with any big creatures like the more temperate forests inland, home to only smaller coastal critters like the local delicacy, yobshrimp. Yet, within this dense forest where there were more roots than trunks, one creature found itself in the wrong edge of the jungle.

The rays of the morning sun shone very dimly onto one portion of the forest, revealing a lone wolf-like creature, struggling to break itself free from a most unfortunate predicament. Its body was low on the ground, legs bent and stuttering. Its muscles started to weaken greatly, added with a dose of extreme pain racing throughout its body.

The agonizing pain originated from its rear right leg, crushed between two clamps of a poacher's trap that barely pierced through its skin. Slowly bleeding, the wolf tried to free itself from the trap, only to cause greater pain and further strain to its strength. At any moment, if not freed, it would most probably bleed to death, not to mention that its need to feed drained it even more.

The wolf was about to lose its conscience, vision blurring, unable to pass out due to the pain on its leg. The marshy greenish-brown fur on the leg was slowly being soaked in red blood as it sank closer to a slow and agonizing death. Its yellow eyes were about to shut from giving up, expiring to an eternal slumber.

 **BRRSHH!**

But then, its descent into its passing was interrupted when it heard a loud brushing noise coming from the bushes. It then landed right in front of the wolf, revealing herself to be a humanoid figure, with her red hood covering her head and the cloak fluttering from the landing.

Ruby Rose stood up after jumping out of the bushes, staring sadly at the creature's suffering. She was jumping across the swamp in search for enemy movements throughout the area, when she stumbled upon the disturbing scene of this beowolf trapped by a heartless being's lust for a hunting trophy. The thought of being hunted for its skin was a very aggravating thing for Ruby. It's been happening since time immemorial, but in this modern galaxy, it was still painful to hear that nature was being tarnished by people who wished to destroy and gain benefits from higher powers; fulfilling the needs of the few. These poachers were no better, if not worse, than any Separatist. At least the droids were only programmed to fight; the hunters made their own choice to kill innocent beings like they were clones on a battlefield.

There was the tempting desire to find these poachers and bring them in to answer for their heartless deeds. But Ruby was taught better than that. Instead of finding justice for the victim, she had to focus on the victim itself first.

Despite how ferocious it may have seemed, Ruby felt that it deserved to be free, to wander about the swamps without any harm. As Master Yoda once said, all of life is part of the living Force. As Jedi, they must fulfil the need to preserve it to bring peace and harmony to the galaxy.

She was bent on freeing it from its trap, but she had to worry about surviving the attempt by not getting bitten. Reaching her hand out, she hoped to show the beowolf that she came to help.

Unfortunately, she had that nervous chill shivering within her. The beast was, as many fables were led to be believed, capable of eradicating its prey within seconds on its own, and sentient beings were on its main course. Even if she knew those were just tall tales, she knew that a beowolf was still an aggressive beast that could end her life.

"Steady, little doggy." She did her best to calmly let the beast know she was going to help it. Her palm was wide open, using the Force to keep herself calm. If only it did much good towards the creature than her… "I'm not going to hurt you."

As Ruby anticipated, the creature growled, threatened by her presence. Its body acted upon reflex, wanting to back off from her, only to be trapped by the contraption that snared its leg down. Ruby tried again to get closer to the wolf, getting behind it where it wouldn't bite her.

The beowolf still eyed her, just as she closed in to work her magic. She inched closely and slowly, trying not to provoke the beast into making rash movements. Step by step, she got her hands closer, with not much of a reaction from the creature. It was probably still being aggressively hostile, as heard from its constant growling.

As Ruby went close, she could feel the pain from the creature oozing out of its body, the desperation to escape death, the starvation it was slowly weakened by. The wolf was dealing with a great amount of suffering and it was disheartening for Ruby to feel.

Ruby's hands were almost inches away from the trap, getting ready to release the beowolf from the deadly grip.

"I'm just going to…"

 **RARF!**

The beast swung its head back with a shrilling bark and a nasty clamp of its jaws.

"EEK!" Ruby jumped back with a frightened squeal before she retreated back into the bushes. Apparently, she had gotten too close for comfort, even if the wolf couldn't turn around. "Could you just stay still for a few seconds?! I'm trying to help you!" She yelled back with a pout.

 **GRRRRR…**

She then looked at the creature's leg, seeing that the bite cost it more blood. The wound was starting to bleed more from the sudden attack. The beowolf in turn crept lower after hurting itself. Ruby couldn't stand to watch any longer, though she was still a bit tense from the frightening bark.

A few breaths of air to pacify her anxiety, slowly regaining her footing so she could help the wolf again.

"Calm yourself down, Ruby." she whispered under her breath. "Remember what Kenta always said." She thought back to the very thing her Master would always tell her.

Let go of your fears and let the Force flow through your body; let its power soothe you, so you can, in turn, help those who needed her help.

She had to be calm for this to work; she had to make herself known to the beowolf that she was willing to help it by emitting a sense of tranquillity and devotion to set it free. To show it that she meant it no harm.

After a few steps forward, Ruby could still hear the wolf growling, but continued to keep herself calm as best as she could. To get a better sense of her inner self, she closed her eyes, letting the Force influence the trap.

Right there, the trap had a remote device that allowed remote control from a distance. As she had done with some droids before, Ruby would use the Force to sever the connection of wires in the device and disable the trap.

Quietly, she reached her hand out for the trap, telekinetically working her way into the machinery. Extreme focus was needed to pull this off; one distraction and she would lose the link. Hoping the creature wouldn't make any sudden noises, she worked her way into the circuitry and attempted to find the main power core.

From her link, she managed to feel a metal object within. Her palm felt the heat pulsing on and off, recognizing it to be the central core that powered the trap. There, she felt for the wires that were connected to the core, feeling the rubber layer before gripping her fist to disconnect it.

With one pull, she felt the wire tug out from the core, the energy from the circuits dissipate and shut down, deactivating the trap. The two clamps went loose, falling off the wolf's leg. The creature's leg was able to move again, freeing it of its miserable entrapment. It could feel the sharp teeth-like spikes come right off, walking terribly limply away from the trap.

When Ruby saw the open wound, she knew she had to fix that, too. This time, she had to use up the only medpack she had in her inventory. She took out a thick roll of bandages soaked with bacta from the small box before preparing to use it on the creature.

There was to be no Force levitation involved in this transaction. One, she was only experienced in basic levitation, meaning, just picking up objects but not entirely manipulating their form to her will.

Second, she had already used up a lot of her mind to disable the clamp trap, so even if she could try, she couldn't really have the focus to shape the bandage to the way she needed it to be.

And third, for more emphasis, she was still inexperienced with using mind tricks, having not find the time to train on it when all she could do in her missions was run, dash and slice. As cool as using them would be, she was completely in no good position or time to try and do it on her own.

She had to do it the old-fashioned way, and that meant coming face-to-face with the wolf. For a moment, she was unsure of what to do, how to make the beast stay still, now that it was free.

Then, Ruby saw the creature sit itself down, licking its bloodied wound. When she closed in, she noticed that it was still tending to its wound, even when its eyes were onto her, almost as if it didn't have the fight anymore. Ruby felt there was a slight sense of calm that was restored into the beowolf.

Taking the chance, she moved forward to tend to the beowolf's wound. Closer, she could see that the wolf, though still defensive, was not any more hostile towards her, as if allowing her to heal its unfortunate blemish.

Slowly, she stretched the bandage out and proceeded to wrap it around the wolf's leg. She carefully moved the soft piece of cloth around the leg, without a single reaction from the wolf. Unsure if she would attack, Ruby went for the wrapping, completing the procedure and hoped she wouldn't get bitten. She readied herself with a countdown…

Three…

Two…

One!

A quick wrap and a quick tie and, immediately, Ruby dashed back a good distance. Her saber was deployed out from its folded mode, swung back to prepare Ruby for any retaliation. The blade did not come out, only the saber itself and its rear metal blade. She watched cautiously at the wolf, noticing the bleeding had stopped, now being blocked by the bandage that was wrapped neatly around the leg.

Ruby watched the wolf slowly stand up from its wounded position, managing to stay on its four legs after struggling for seconds. She anticipated that the creature would remain hostile towards her, even if it was injured.

For a moment, the two stared into each other, eyes straining, bodies instinctively triggered to spring at the slightest move. Ruby gripped her blade, but did her best not to activate the blade for she didn't want to slay the wolf; just use the scythe blade at the other end to somersault over it and dash off to safety. The wolf just stared at her, still furrowed as if wary of her own movements.

But when Ruby observed further, the wolf didn't even growl this time. Instead, it stayed still, not even once showing aggression or self-defense against her. Then, to Ruby's utmost surprise, all it did was turn around and walk off, without even turning around to challenge her.

Seeing the wolf walk away from her, Ruby felt the situation now shifting back to a calmer state. She folded her saber up and clipped it back behind her, watching it disappear into the trees. She didn't feel any more animosity coming from the creature, telling her that there was to be no more danger. The wolf was healed and to make things even, it decided not to attack her. That was all she needed to know that her task was well done.

"Be free." she whispered, wishing the beowolf well on its way to recovery. Her satisfaction grew at the prospect of saving another innocent life. After fighting in the war for nearly a month now, she was able to save countless other lives from the Separatists. This one, however, was a special case. She saved a much more defenceless critter from an even greater threat.

She looked down on the opened hunting trap, gazing coldly at the murderous weapon that nearly killed the creature. She grimaced over the heartless fools who dared to kill for their own selfish desires. No animal deserved to be killed and be made into some lifeless trophy to be hung up on a wall instead of being buried to become one with the living Force.

Ruby certainly wished that the hunters would come back; she dared them to. But it wouldn't be Jedi-like to show force at her own will. She was still a Jedi Knight, and she was told to never exert aggression, no matter how dire the odds were. Maybe she could just tie them up and hand them over to the right authorities, disarm them and make 'em unable to fight. That was all she could do without having to fall closer to darkness…

She could take comfort in knowing that it could find something to eat, since there's a whole lot of food around that it could find without having to chase them. Beowolves were extremely adaptable, known to have survive grave injuries and walk off like nothing ever happened. Other than that, they always found strength in numbers, meaning that there was a likely chance that it had a pack nearby who could come to help it. If all went well, it was in good hands.

In the meantime, Ruby had to focus on the things she was meant to do before coming across the injured wolf. She was busy patrolling the area, searching for droids that strayed too close to the nearby base camp. So far, the scene was clear, no trouble to threaten the base or any droids to slice up for the scrapheap. That only meant that the droids were only out there, further away where the fighting was being raged over the muddy fields outside a Separatist airfield.

 **BEEP BEEP!**

Ruby felt a minor vibration on her waist, followed by a few minute beeps. She grabbed the circle-shaped communicator from her belt and tapped on the button to answer the call. The centre of the device flashed up a hologram of her Master, standing with his arms behind his back.

"Ruby, I need you back at camp." told Kenta. "Our troops have taken quite the beating."

"On my way!" At his call, Ruby turned off the communicator and proceeded to hurry back to base to bring her back to the line of duty. Another day of dismembering droids and saving the day.

* * *

Republic Outpost Olympia,

Marthon,

Azermoth System,

Outer Rim Territories,

Ruby's ride back home was a safe five minutes away via gunship, landing at the frontal platform outside in the open. As she departed, she headed back into the small airstrip constructed by the Republic forces as a staging ground to keep their offensive against the nearby Separatist airfields at bay.

She disembarked from the landing craft and walked into the menagerie of white, armour-clad clone troopers. Men who were either packing up for next deployment, just fresh back from a previous one, or just maintaining their stay at the base to their stations.

Though finally glad to be back home after an hour within the swamp, Ruby couldn't let the fact that her clothes were already mushed with mud and dirt. Stains of muck was already covered on her boots and her own robes and skirt had a few spots of dirt smudged onto them. She had been trekking for so long, that she was almost itching for a bath. However, she had to hold in the notion until she heard what Kenta had to say.

Dirt-stained messiness aside, she was still eager to meet up with the battalion that she and her former Master were assigned to ever since the beginning, especially the crazy but reliable Duo.

After the injuries he suffered from their first time fighting together, Duo became more of the right-hand man for the two Jedi; though he was more loyal to Ruby than the more orderly Kenta. When the Jedi Knight needed some improvised tactics, Duo was the clone for the job, doing what other clones would not under Kenta's orders.

Ruby couldn't wait to get through with the briefing of the upcoming mission, assuming that Kenta had plans to move forward with it. As far as she knew, her Master was just out there, flying his Delta-7 starfighter like an ace in the skies, clearing the ground of any droids he could find. There had to be another chance for Kenta to take off again and, this time, Ruby would join in on the assault.

Not from the seat of a Starfighter though… Even if she could learn how to ride a speeder, she was still hesitant to flying an aerodynamically dominant fighter across the sky. There was always something about dizzying flights and all the frantic motions that even the speedy Ruby Rose, who ironically could speed off like a bullet while spinning like a tornado, didn't seem to enjoy that much.

Thus, she was content on sticking to the ground where she could control how much she spun and sped throughout the field of battle, taking charge of the men in the area. The 187th Battalion was barely out of its initial fight back at Igma Dun, and they were still feeling fresh from the bloody battle that cost them about a third of the fighting force. Especially, one of them…

Pi… Ruby could still feel the what was left of her grief after the brother of Duo died out there. Even now, she, herself, was still under the repercussions of the tragic end to a brotherhood formed since birth. After things were sorted out, though, Ruby and Duo could only keep the memory of the fallen clone in their hearts, maybe… even as he joined the Force to some extent. Ruby never knew if clones would qualify for the transcending to the afterlife, but she **believed** it might be so.

Ruby was already in the main hangar bay after landing, looking around to see docked Z-95 Headhunters, fresh from the assembly lines of the Incom Corporation, being tended to by technicians, engineers and the very pilots who would fly these bad boys to battle.

Then, her eyes were locked onto another landed starfighter; this one being her Master's own. Right next to the fighter, it wasn't Kenta, but rather the little droid who accompanied her this far into the war. The T3 unit, ZW-23. was utilizing his welding arm onto the thin edge of the starfighter's left side. The part of the fighter being fixed had a burnt opening underneath it, exposing a bit of machinery that zapped out sparks.

As Zee took care of the damage, Ruby walked over to greet him. She bent down, catching the droid's attention as he chirped happily for her return.

"Hey, Zee." Ruby stroked the shiny metal surface of the droid's cylindrical head. Its single eye blinked as it turned its head from side to side in cheers. A minute later, Ruby just stood silently to watch Zee continue to repair the damaged fighter.

It's a pity, Ruby thought. If Zee wasn't such an old model, he would have fit perfectly into the socket at the side of the fighter, accompanying Kenta in his numerous flights across the battlefield. No point bringing it up to him now, he was still very useful in many other ways, no matter how old he was.

Soon, while she watched her droid fix the fighter, Ruby heard footsteps coming towards her. Turning around, she found her Master, walking up to her. She caught the slightly distressed look on his face, signalling that his previous mission didn't go so well.

"Good to see you've returned on time." He still did his best to lighten up the mood, but Ruby wasn't really buying it. A good amount of flying over the enemy would do all sorts of things to your head, and judging by how the battle went before, it didn't look so good.

"Zee was just fixing your fighter up." Ruby also tried to make things brighter, motioning towards the droid patching up that hole on the fighter. Kenta let out a small smile, watching the little droid do his job. He had to admit; he wasn't really so sure about droid sentience, but Ruby's own faith in Zee was starting to rub off on him. Still, he was cautious over how much care was needed. There was still great need to form attachments towards possessions or beings that could cost one his or her place in the light.

"Let's head to the briefing room. The commander wants to fill us in on the details of our next assault." Ruby nodded. At least there was going to be some more combat awaiting them.

"We'll be right back, Zee." Ruby waved to her droid, who waved back with another free arm before getting back to work. The two Jedi left the hangar bay and deep into the base to present themselves to the other commanders. Along the way, Kenta decided to break the silence.

"Where were you, anyway?" he asked.

"Just patrolling the area." explained Ruby. "And then, I found this beowolf in the swamp that was caught in a poacher's trap. So, I did what I had to do and set it free."

"And how did you manage to free it?" Kenta's eyebrow twerked upwards, puzzled by how Ruby could have the slightest chance of freeing an aggressive animal. All Ruby did was smirk gently, eyeing her Master with the 'it's-so-obvious' tone.

"By listening to you." she joked.

"Right…" Kenta just stared, somewhat sceptical that Ruby would actually heed his advice on a beowolf, of all things. Just then, Ruby noticed the Jedi Master tremble mildly. "Let's just keep moving." The disgust in his voice was enough to convince her that something really bothered him, and she liked it…

"You're still scared of beowolves, aren't you?!" Suddenly, her voice sprung like a siren, putting Kenta in a suspended state of fright. Seeing Kenta alarmed to the max triggered the nerves in Ruby's body, causing her to laugh from his misery. She laughed at top of her voice, giggling so madly, it was almost like chuckling. "I knew it! You should have seen the look on your face!"

The laughing went on for a good minute, almost making Ruby shed tears of joy when she saw the pitiful look on her Master's face. Then, that face transformed into one of pure strict coldness, finally silencing Ruby.

"Sorry." she apologized, though she did snicker a bit just to make sure he wasn't out of the woods just yet. When she casually walked by, Kenta could only shake his head.

"Sure, Kenta. You sure taught her to be humble, alright…"

After finally putting that bothersome affair aside, the two Jedi made their way to the command room. Gathered around the holographic table, they were joined by two other clone officers, one of them being the same commander who joined Ruby and Kenta during their first battle at Igma Dun. The other was a clone lieutenant from another battalion, managing the holographic simulation of the battle map. Multiple tiny figures of clone troopers, backed by several holographic walkers lined up against what appeared to be a simple projection of the enemy airbase, surrounded by a few hills and protected by three army formations of battle droids and tripod walkers. As the briefing went on, Kenta paid close attention to the mission.

"The Separatist airfields are just a few kilometres away from our current position." reported the Commander of the 187th Battalion, who Ruby named Kaiser. "With a few more pushes and bombing runs, we should be able to overrun them in no time."

"And that was only the good news?" sighed Kenta.

"Yeah… Bad news time." added the other Commander. "The local resistance has dug up a huge area of foxholes to cover the enemy defences." Pointing out onto the ground between the clones and the droids, he directed his gaze onto several dug holes on the dirt, signalling the enemy positions set up to even the playing field.

While the meeting between the men went on, Ruby took her time to look at the field. Not much to gain from the exact details of the battle, just the overall fact that the droids were well armed, backed by the local militia that chose to side with the Separatists. Mud dwellers who easily sided with the enemy through the promise of greater influence.

Politics, she thought. When it came to playing in the bigger game, you would want the power to achieve greater things. And the people of the planet were eager to take the chance they got, since the Republic, to them, apparently didn't seem to help improve conditions on the planet.

"Like a mine field. Only with guns." sighed the younger Jedi, resting her head on her hands, leaning herself against the table. "Lots and lots of guns…" Kenta had his hand holding his chin, inquisitively finding a way to push through.

"We'll need to clear out those foxholes if we are to have any chance against the Separatists." he suggested, earning a shocked look from Ruby.

"Even if it means wiping out the locals?" Ruby exclaimed in alarm. Though they sided with the droids, they should not suffer the same fate as those clankers. They were living beings who didn't deserve to perish at the hands of the army that was here to help them, at least in her point of view.

"I'm sorry, General." said Kaiser, regret written on his face. "We can't afford to take any chances with them." The young Jedi ducked her head down, now hesitant to even lift her hands up to argue. How much more could war have to take to see things through? How much more can **she** take in this endless ring of suffering and death?

Suddenly, her emotions were shifted with a pat on the back by her Master, bending down to her level to comfort her.

"Don't worry, Ruby. With enough force, they might just see reason to surrender." assured Kenta. Ruby could only muster up a soft smile, grateful that she wasn't the only one considering the lives of those locals. But the sour feeling that she would have to eliminate them by force was still a painful thought to take in.

"Alright. We'll shower those worm-heads with plasma until they pop out of their holes and surrender." Kaiser's steadfast attitude didn't help with the mood, but she supposed it was for the best for the men to move out. "For now, we'll need time to refresh and regroup. We'll disembark in a few hours."

"Agreed." The Jedi complied. After the clones shut off the holo-projection, the group meeting was adjourned. Ruby decided to take this time to freshen up at her quarters, to wash off the mud from her clothes and rest afterwards. All that mud needed to come off, all that sweat had to be washed off to get her started for the next landings.

She was at the foyer, close to the front entrance of the base, where she could see the outdoors. From out the large doors, a series of hills flanked the clear path that would allow fighters to have a clear take-off from. Aside from the usual sight of clone troopers going on and about the place, she could see some other beings, crowded into the base in groups. Noticing the shabby and torn conditions of their clothes, Ruby instantly identified them as refugees from a nearby town; the very same one Kenta helped liberate not too long ago.

They were all gathered at one corner of the foyer, tended to by Republic agents from humanitarian organizations tasked to aid the needy. A smile crept on Ruby's face, her heart filled with warmth when watching these helping hands from different beings come together to heal, nourish and take care of those poor people. When war threatened their lives, it was always heart-warming to see others come to help those affected by the death and the destruction. No one regarded them as the enemy; just ordinary citizens who became victims of both sides of war.

Maybe there was hope for the men and women who were still fighting out there after all. If only they could see that the Republic did care about their people…

Ruby turned around to head back to her quarters and get her rest. Walking along a corner corridor, she looked out the window to see the distant flashes of battle far off into the horizon. The very battle she was about to take part in. She stared out, wondering if she could ever make it through this fight, let alone winning with minimal live casualties.

Just then, as she continued to gaze, her mind twitched upon seeing something close by. It was just above the hills where she saw a creature standing on top of the summit. She squinted her eyes, zooming in on the four-legged creature. She couldn't fully see it, but she did see the two pointy ears being raised up in the air, followed by a wagging bushy tail.

Ruby recognized the shape of the animal as that of a canine-like creature, assuming it to be another one of the local beowolves in the area. At that moment, a small pang of fright surged into her heart, her nerves raced up when it felt like the creature was staring at her. The eyes couldn't be seen, but she felt they were stabbing daggers into her chest. The powerful presence of these creatures seemed to have finally reached the young Jedi.

Yet, somehow, instead of fear, Ruby could only feel something even stranger. A sense of connection that it wanted her to know, like the wolf was trying to tell her something. She wondered why the wolf was giving her this vibe, as if an ominous presence was connecting the two together in some way. She continued to stare at the wolf, while it seemed like it was also doing the same back to her. Questions flooded her head before there was the sudden urge to investigate. She would go out to see if the wolf was really trying to call for her. Maybe she could…

"Ruby?"

"EEP!" Ruby nearly jumped out of the way when she heard someone call for her. The human voice of Kenta spooked her out of her comfort zone, nearly ripping her soul out of her body. After turning around, with relief, to find her Master standing behind her, she sighed, feeling a little irritated that he had to scare her like that. Kenta, on the other hand, didn't really bother about it and immediately asked.

"What're you looking at?" Ruby looked behind to explain her findings with him. Suddenly, when she looked at the hill where she saw the wolf, there was nothing left. The wolf that she clearly saw, and felt, was gone like the wind.

A sigh left Ruby's mouth, the young Knight supposing that the wolf had run off.

"Nothing." She shook her head. Maybe she was messing with herself. The wolf she saw could have just been an ordinary wolf who had just run off. And still, she couldn't help but wonder…

Why did she feel something from the wolf? Why was there this strange feeling in her chest that was squirming inside? It didn't feel like some illusive trick or the playing of imagination in her head. It felt all too real.

But Ruby had no time to wonder. She was about to prepare for another go at fighting against the droids. Another round of leading clone troopers against armies of mechanical cannon fodder and the local militia. She had much more to worry about than being distracted by a beowolf.

Finally, Ruby decided to ignore the weird sensation with the beowolf for now, off to her quarters to freshen up and rest before the pending battle up ahead.

* * *

Wemakth Forest,

Marthon,

Azermoth System,

Outer Rim Territories,

 _An hour later_

The battlefield was no place for a lone astromech droid, let alone one that was thousands of years old. Zee learned that the hard way when the cannons fired upon the area he was strolling around in. Scurrying away from the hills, constantly bombarded from all over the place, the little droid rolled like he never rolled before. The booming noises of explosions ruptured the audio receptors in his dome, the vibrations shaking up the electronics inside his body, putting the easily panicked droid in a frenzy of frightening shrieks as he ran for his life.

Zee hurried on and on, running alongside a number of clone troopers, who were also bracing for cover, sprinting towards the safety of the next line of the battalion. Everyone retreated back into a forest of dead, leafless trees, where the rear forces of the 187th hid in waiting, covering for the fleeing men.

The blaster fire was slowly catching up to the next line of clones ready to fire back. They could practically hear the clanking of droid legs amidst the blaster bolts, indicating a large force of droids from behind the hills.

Zee retreated into the woods, where he immediately found Ruby behind a large rock beside Kenta. Both Jedi were ducked underneath the boulder, where the girl pulled Zee back into cover. Their lightsabers were already ignited in preparations for the battle that was coming up soon.

"You're okay, Zee." she hugged the droid before letting him back away behind the boulder. "Get back there and take cover."

"Looks like the first line's been broken." stated Kenta, pointing his blue saber upwards. "Maintain your vigilance, Ruby."

"Already a step ahead of you, Kenta." Ruby's own Crescent Rose was primed, with the silver blade close to the ground. After Zee headed back to safety, the two Jedi watched carefully as the droid army was moving closer to view. Once the last of the retreating clones fell back, the ones left to stand their ground with the Jedi Generals locked their weapons at the ready.

Ruby kept her eyes on the hills where she could hear the battle droids arrive. The mechanical marching became louder and clearer, indicating their close proximity from her forces. Her eyes squinted, focused on making the move to cover her troops with Kenta.

Moments later, the line of droids was spotted, marching right over the hills and began firing immediately. The two Jedi sprung out to cover the clones as everyone fired back. Plasma fire met lightsaber blades, spinning back and forth and from side to side. The clones spread their blasts from behind the protection of the Jedi, backing them up and knocking out droid after droid.

As it was the usual norm, every clone trooper lost was five battle droids totalled. The laser barrage pelted the entire forest, singeing against the bark of the already dead trees or taking out more clones. Ruby blocked off the attacks, hearing the gruesome sound of a clone falling right behind her, with his body crashing down to the ground and becoming a lifeless husk in an instant.

She still couldn't bear to see or hear her soldiers die all around her, death still haunting her. Yet, her first experiences in battle had hardened her resolve to keep on fighting. War will always have casualties, not everyone can be saved. She could always defend as much of her troops as possible, but those who died would be lifted to become one with the Force, perhaps even clones, dying to fight over what was right.

Doing her best to become stronger, Ruby kept her focus on the battle ahead, helping her allies fend off the droid army until a counter-attack was possible. The blazing bolts seared through the Republic forces, the Jedi still deflecting the shots all around. The clones returned fire from behind the softened bark of the trees, unable to gain better ground against the droids.

Eventually, more battle droids followed behind the first line, reinforced further by the arrival of super battle droids, providing the heavy firepower that would be much more trouble for even the Jedi. Once their wrist blasters began firing, they knew they had to back out.

Ruby certainly felt the intense firepower all over her, with battle droid carbines blasting in rapid succession, while the super battle droid blaster fire rocked against her blade, almost throwing the saber-scythe off from her grasp. Her reliance on speed and agility in combat meant that her perseverance and strength in holding out against a swarm of blaster fire was wavering very quickly.

Still, she kept her posture and blocked back the attacks as best she could. The thrill of battle was starting to push her courage to an unprecedented level, eager to see through that the day was done. She was always so confident that her missions before would be done with much victory. But as Kenta reminded her over and over again, there was no telling what would happen in times of strife and chaos.

"We have to fall back!" Kenta shouted.

"What?!" exclaimed an exasperated Ruby. Even when things went rough for her soldiers, she still felt sure that they could hold the line until reinforcements arrived. She felt that the clones could push back the droids all the way with their help. She could not afford to abandon their position and lose men by running away.

But then, as she held on, a single blaster bolt, strong and fast, struck Ruby's lightsaber at the hilt, finally being able to knock it off her grip. In an instant, the young Jedi Knight panicked, rushing back behind the rock where Zee hid. Once safe, she pulled her weapon back. Her fingers wrapped around the hilt, where she could feel the burning blast mark stinging into her palm. Her body was pumping up so much adrenaline that she didn't even have time to wince.

Kenta ran back to accompany her, warning her of her decision to stay, but Ruby cut him off with her insistence to remain and fight.

"If we run, we'll be blasted!"

"And if we stay, we'll be overwhelmed and more men will be down!" argued the Jedi Master. "Do you not see how much firepower they're packing?!" Ruby looked at the incoming droids marching towards her. On the ground, clones were being taken out, one by one, leaving their bodies sprawled on the floor. The clones who were still fighting had no more room to hold out against the closing machines. Immediately, she recognized the dangers and thought about the men around her. If she stayed and fight, then they would all die. There was no way anyone could survive a counter-offensive without proper arrangements.

"I know you're willing to stay and hold the line, but the troops need to replenish their strength. And that means we have to find new ground to cover our retreat. So, let's fall back and reposition." After some calming words from Kenta, Ruby finally accepted the reality that her perseverance to fight back was not going to be enough to withstand the might of the droid army.

After a rough reality check, the young Jedi picked herself up and led Zee with her, following some of the clones who were already running back. They still fired their guns at the droids, but Kenta had to give the full order to have them retreat with full haste.

"Let's fall back, men!" he ordered, feeling the rush of command run through his throat. It was rather an uncommon feeling for the Master who had never been to war until now, still not used to the coarse force of shouting out orders to the clones. He had never voiced out such powerful commands like that, even to Ruby during her more disobedient times. But it was all enough to tell everyone to make the run for it.

"You heard the General! Retreat!" Kaiser was just behind Kenta, firing his DC-17 hand blaster. At the Jedi's orders, the officer commanded the men to abandon their positions and withdraw into the thick of the mangrove swamp behind them. All at once, the few remaining clones complied to the order and retreated. Kenta stood by for a few moments to buy the men enough time to retreat before he would follow. After blocking off a few bolts, Kenta finally turned around and ran back. The barrage of droid fire still seared at all sides as he retreated into the thick of the mangroves.

Meanwhile, Ruby and Zee were already running through the swamp, the latter once again experiencing the thick, wet trap that was the mud, pulling her down as she attempted to traverse through. If it weren't for the tense battle, she would be cursing madly at the icky mud pulling her weight down. Easy for the clones, of course, but she was wearing very light clothes compared to the troopers, and her combat skirt was actually being more of a hindrance. Zee had to run through the mud bank, which only suited his size and forced everyone else to take the long, muddy way. After a frustrating minute of walking through the mud, Ruby finally reached solid ground, running up a few more seconds before resting behind a rock, panting profusely after running through the swamp. Zee rolled to her side, allowing Ruby to pat his head with relief over his safety.

It wasn't long before the troops were joined by Kaiser and Kenta, stopping just where Ruby, Zee and the clones were. The forest clearing was to be the rendezvous point for the group should they be overrun from their previous position. It was quite unpleasant to be regrouping at such an entrapping patch of mud and mangrove trees.

Much to Ruby's disbelief, it was all Kenta's idea to pitch this unsavoury position. When the Master regrouped with his former Padawan, she was quick to question his decision.

"Are you sure this is the best place to make a stand?" she groaned.

"Honestly, no." Kenta's answer nearly made Ruby deadpan. However, she did not intend on arguing, for as far as she knew her Master, he always had some rational reason behind his choices. "But if I can guess, the mud will slow them down, making them easier for the men to take their shots."

That was Kenta Barak; a Master who fought his battles with precise insight and diligence. Despite not agreeing to most of his plans, she always begrudgingly found herself thanking him for being such a genius when dealing with crises. He was known for pulling off all sorts of sneaky tricks to apprehend crooks and put down troublemakers. In many ways, he was like Ruby, only a lot bossier and a whole lot more patient.

Now, however, this was more than just a mere crisis. This was war. Something that, at his own admission, Kenta could not fully understand. He had to fight this ongoing battle using past experiences jumbled up together as a last-minute preparation for a Jedi inexperienced in war.

Ruby sighed. These days in the war were not being kind to her, being pressured the same way as her Master was. She's had a few good victories to tell of, but this was probably one of those few times she'd wish she stayed back at base from. The tiring conditions of the swamp certainly did not help to defuse her frustrations any bit.

Droplets of water from the last shower of rain were dripping on her face, irritating her further. She was too exhausted to complain, though, and there were other prime concerns to focus on. No matter how bright the flames in her heart were burning, her body just wasn't feeling the need to rise.

Alas, she put in some more energy in herself, breathing in and out to relief whatever little stress she could. Picking up her lightsaber, she stood back up, joining Kenta for the next wave of droids.

"Stay here, Zee." told Ruby. The astromech chirped agreeably. After re-joining with Kenta, the Jedi Knight was informed to follow along with another one of his grand plans. He already told the clones of what they needed to do, so it was now Ruby's turn to listen in.

"Ruby." began the Master. "We'll get up to the trees and wait for the droids to pass. Once I give the signal, we'll jump on top of them. The clones will support us from there." Ruby nodded before running towards her droid, telling him to find shelter within the same tree where she and Kenta planned to climb.

"Zee, behind that tree. We'll be right above you." She pointed out to the tree and Zee complied. The droid moved out of the rock and back behind the thick trunk of a tree, hiding to wait for the droids to pass by.

The clones hid behind the tall, tangled roots of the trees at both sides of the mud pool. Though they were exposed by the multiple openings between the roots of the mangrove trees, they could always rely on the element of stealth, seeing that the roots were bundled enough to shield them from sight and droid optics.

Ruby and Kenta brushed through the thick leaves of the trees, grabbing onto the larger branches overhead the swamp. They gripped on tight, watching the ground below and waited for the enemy to approach.

After being suspended from above, the two listened out for the metallic noises of the droids walking into the swamp. If Kenta's hunch was right, the droids would be hindered by the muck of the mud, making them easy targets for the clones below.

Minutes have passed, and the Jedi remained perched up in the trees. The drops of water from above, again, proved to be a source of irritation for Ruby. Her urge to even groan was pulled in for the need to remain out of harm's way. Good thing the branch she was standing on was strong enough to support her weight. If it ever snapped, it was going to get really messy, not just from being pelted by blaster fire, but also from a mud bath she wouldn't like.

Just then, thankfully, she heard the sounds of marching and the brushing sounds of mechanical joints getting louder and louder. At last, the droids arrived, just as they predicted. The two Jedi braced themselves for the jump, waiting at just the right moment to jump from the trees and strike right at the centre of the formation.

She turned her head to the side, looking at the ground where some of the clones waited by, blasters aimed right into the roots towards each side of the mud bank. At any moment, the droids would be right at the centre of the trap, and that would be the moment the Generals would jump down and strike the front, while they had their backs on the rear.

Looking back down, she could see faint shadows of the first line of droids, marching slowly across the mud.

"Eck!" groaned one of the droids. "This mud's going to short out my circuits!"

"Quiet down, Unit 136!" Another droid slapped it on the head before resuming his forward direction. "The sooner we go through this mud, the better."

"Ready?" Ruby heard Kenta whispering, just as the first line of droids came into view.

"Always ready." She held Crescent Rose tight, positioning her body to make the drop on them. Several battle droids went right past her sights. The Jedi had to judge the centre point of the formation by estimation, trusting their instincts on the right moment to fall down.

One line…

Two lines…

Three lines…

And…

Now!

Both Jedi let go of the branch simultaneously and jumped down, right on top of the battle droids. Dropping right back onto the mud, they landed right at the very centre of the battle droids. Before the droids could react…

"It's the Jedi! Blast them!" Ruby and Kenta's lightsabers were already activated, blades ready to cut down the droids. The first victims nearest them fell right away, being sliced to many pieces. As they continued to cut through, the battle droids began to disperse, backing away from the Jedi and firing at them. The two then spun their blades around and blocked off the incoming fire.

"Now!" At the same time, Kaiser yelled out the order to take out the droids while the Jedi kept them at bay. The ambush ensued as blue ion bolts were fired upon the battle droids, easily obliterating them along with the Jedi's well-timed deflections.

Almost immediately, the first wave of battle droids, perhaps twenty of them as Ruby counted, were all blasted into scrap metal.

Once they were done, the whole group was then met with another wave of blaster fire, coming from right behind where the first battle droids came from. The Jedi faced the fury, while the clones began to spring out and cover their Generals from behind.

The battle droids came in with the same formation, but backed by a single line of B2 super battle droids, firing from the rear. With stronger cover from the trees, however, the Republic troops stood their ground.

Battle droids began tipping off again, but every one knocked out would only bring the Jedi and the clones closer to the more powerful super battle droids. Nevertheless, they held their ground until their reinforcements would arrive.

For almost a good minute, Ruby and Kenta seemed to have held off the droids, bringing down the whole B1 droid formation. Now, all that was left were the super droids. Being only five of them, Ruby and Kenta sought the moment to strike. They charged forward, Ruby dashing from tree to tree with her ultra-fast agility, while Kenta swooped in from below.

Altogether, they made their move. Ruby jumped from the last tree before spearing herself towards the super battle droids on the left. With the wild spins of her blade, she tore right through the first droid's shoulder, severing it off before giving it a Force-powered push that sent it crashing against another droid and into a tree. The last droid she took out was immediately impaled by a precise stab to the head, finishing it off.

Kenta, on the other hand, slid across the mud and struck the next droid from underneath, slicing it in half and then, finally, making a spinning jump to slice the last battle droid in half.

With one fell swoop, the two Jedi eliminated another wave of droids. The clones moved in to secure their positions. Just when Ruby thought they seemed safe to rest, she was soon met with another wave of blaster bolts, again!

A third wave of droids came marching in. Great! As if things weren't bad enough…!

"Sir!" Just then, in the midst of holding out against the next force of droids, Kaiser came calling in. "We got bad news! The reinforcements are not arriving!"

"What?!" Ruby shouted, appalled by the sudden news.

"Droid fighters are already scrambling to intercept transports evacuating more refugees from the nearby town! Our air cover has to be transferred to defend them!" Darn it! They were just about to finally get the backup they needed, and then the Separatists put a wrench on their plans. Just what could go wrong now?!

"Then we'll have to keep this position for much longer. We'll keep up the retreat if we can." Kenta ordered, blocking off another bolt. The clones kept their ground, firing alongside the Jedi.

Ruby winced in slight pain as she felt another clone trooper getting shot in the head, ending him instantly. Then, another trooper fell, before another took a shot to the chest. The situation was already building up against the Jedi. With fewer clones left, they were starting to lose their edge.

She sure hoped Duo was having a better time in the main assault.

"Looks like our backup won't be arriving!" urged Kenta, just before he took a super droid's blast to his lightsaber blade.

"No choice." added Ruby, understanding the need to focus on those he needed those fighters. "Those civilians need to be rescued." At that point, Kenta wished he could have taken his fighter out to provide the air cover himself, but it needed to be refuelled as well, forcing him to participate the battle on the ground.

After another moment of hectic fighting, the number of clones was starting to diminish at a very dangerous level. With only a few clones left, the Jedi knew they had to fall back again. And now, Ruby couldn't argue against another retreat, for what remained of her men had to survive if they wished to fight another day.

Giving a nod to Kenta, they both made another call to retreat. The clones complied and followed along, with ZW-23 just behind them. The Jedi were just about to head off, when Ruby heard something call out from the trees.

"HELP!" She stopped to look at where the voice was called out from. To her horror, she saw a lone clone trooper, sprawling on the ground. He was holding his leg and struggling to move, which Ruby suggested was a bad sign. Alarmed, she made a run the other way to save him.

"I'm going to get him out!"

"Ruby! Wait!" Kenta's cries for Ruby to stop were ignored. She was already racing to save the injured clone from the droids. Red bolts were raging across the forest, narrowly missing the speeding Jedi.

Ruby quickly warped her way to the clone, stopping just in front to defend him from the droids. Her lightsaber twirled around with voracious pacing, knocking off as much fire as she could before Kenta would eventually arrive. She didn't need to tell him; she was always sure he would rush to save her behind again.

And as always, she was right about that. Kenta emerged, almost about to have another shout at Ruby for 'recklessly acting on her own' again, but within this chaotic series of events, there was simply no time to argue.

"Get him out of here!" commanded Ruby. Seeing that he had the chance, Kenta picked up the clone and raised him up to his feet. He supported him back to retreat, while Ruby bought them time to escape.

Kenta didn't want to leave her behind, but right now, he had to put his faith on her, praying to the Force that she survived. As he walked away, Ruby was left to defend the vulnerable Jedi and the clone from the approaching enemy.

Little by little, she pulled herself together and held back the droids on her own. Unfortunately, her strength was slowly waning. After hours of battle, she was starting to lose her grip on her blade. At any point, one miss could easily end her for good, but she didn't put that in mind. She was not going to give up, as long as Kenta and the clone were safe.

After another few blocks, Ruby crouched down, giving the last of her energy a shot. She was probably almost about to make the run for it and catch up with the others. But then, as she made the turn to leave, she heard a loud whooshing sound, followed by an eerie whistling noise coming from the droids. When she turned around, Ruby saw what was coming…

Before it was too late… It was a missile…

 **BOOOMM!**

* * *

Blinding light…

That was all Ruby could see… and feel. There was almost nothing she could hear but the wailing sound of ringing in her ears. Stunned, she couldn't move for a moment, as if she was stuck in limbo. There was almost no thought in mind, stuck in this petrified state of emptiness for who knew how long.

Then, slowly, she started to regain consciousness. The white sheet of light blinding her started to fade, regaining some vision. The ringing in her ears, still loud, was noticeably waning. Her mind soon recovered and the nerves in her body started feeling again.

By the time, she was regaining her sights, Ruby could feel the slight burns on her skin, stinging badly in her arms, while rushes of heat ran through the front of her body. When she came to, she found herself on the ground, being… dragged? Her back was facing the ground, sliding across the mud, unaware of what was pulling her.

Could it be her Master? A clone? Or worse… was she being captured?

After some more time regaining her consciousness, she felt a constant tugging force pulling at her hood, softly pressed against her neck. By the time she could move her body again, she had to find out what was going on. Still badly shaken and burnt, coupled with a bad headache, Ruby turned her head back around to find the person

It wasn't a person… When she saw what was pulling her off, she could see her hood, being clamped by what looked like…

Razor-sharp teeth…?

"EEK!" With the sudden fidgeting of her body, she instinctively dashed her way from the frightening sight, pulling through without any problem. As she spun away, she slid across the muddy ground, turning around to see the beast that was hauling her.

To her shock, the creature turned out to be another beowolf. The wolf had a piece of her hood torn off, still trapped within its teeth. The creature backed off and stared at the Jedi, shooting its glaring eyes at Ruby after she moved away.

Ruby didn't have time to draw out her weapon. Seeing this wolf, a creature in its natural habitat, was not worth using her lightsaber on. She kept her eyes locked on to the wolf, which bent its body down to its defensive position.

"Stay back." warned Ruby. "I don't wanna hurt you." Her anxiety held her back from even moving, watching this deadly glare from the wolf's sharp eyes. If this wolf was going to attack her, the least she could do was shit around and dodge its attacks before she could find the right position to escape.

She was sure the wolf would try and make the jump at her, as it prepared to move forward. Then, all of a sudden, it did move. Ruby would have jumped right at that moment, when at the very last moment, the wolf only moved back.

"Huh?" Ruby couldn't believe it. The wolf stood back calmly, Ruby noticing a small neutral stance as it did not show the same aggression these creatures were so notorious for. It was almost too strange for Ruby to even conceive the idea of a passive beowolf…

Then, out of nowhere, Ruby sensed another presence, coming from somewhere behind the wolf. Her agitation suddenly jolted her body, sensing the same aura given out by the wolf, as if another was right there. And, to her chagrin, another wolf did show up, jumping from out of the trees to join the second wolf.

At that moment, Ruby felt that this was an ambush, certainly under attack as a whole pack might be on their way. The larger wolf stood tall and proud, leering its eyes on the Jedi. Ruby would have thought the wolves were ready to attack when…

There was something else… Something off… Ruby felt this strange presence coming to her, and it felt… familiar?

She looked at the wolf, wondering if the odd aura was coming from it. The wolf stood still as Ruby kept on pondering, feeling for a connection. At that moment, she noticed yet another surprise. As she peered towards the wolf's leg, she could see a wrapped bandage around it. A bacta wrap… like the one she used on the trapped beowolf earlier!

So, as it turned out, Ruby was looking at the very same wolf she rescued. And now, all of a sudden, it came back to her. But why? Why was it here, looking for her? Did it really come to help? Did it send its pack mate to come save her?

The same presence of energy she had when she saw that wolf back at base, the same warmth and sense of connection that was driven into her. Was that the same wolf, too?

What did it want with Ruby?

She was about to try and delve into the mystery, inching closer to the wolf. She held back her fears of what she had read or was told of, closing the gap between herself and the unknown. She kept her eyes locked onto the creature, anticipating it to react voraciously. Surprisingly, so far, as she got closer, the wolf did not flinch at all. It was like… it was waiting for her to come towards it. Even as her body was feeling suspicious, she felt that this was a welcome sign, perhaps allowing her to get up close and personal with this seemingly dangerous animal.

Finally, when she needed to confirm it, she reached her hand out, still fidgeting, but still willing to brave the odds. If she could get to touch its head, then maybe there would be something new to this phenomenon. Slowly, step by step, she got closer and closer, her fingers almost about to finally touch it. So far, so good…

Almost there…

That's it…

 **GRRRRR!**

Ruby flinched back. She was so close to just touching the wolf by the nose and, out of nowhere, it growled fiercely at her. Its partner followed along. They stood back up, getting into their threatened forms. Ruby backed away, puzzled by the sudden change of emotion. Just what did these wolves want anyway?

"Ruby!" Suddenly, she heard a faint call of her name echoing off into the distance. The wolves' heads turned to the direction of the voice and immediately ran for it, disappearing off into the forest. Ruby wanted to stop them, wanting to know more about their strange behaviour. When they finally left, she was left with more questions in her head, wanting to call out to the wolves to come back.

But she heard the call again, recognizing the voice of her Master. She wanted to run after the wolves, but she then remembered she was in the middle of a battle. She didn't have time to get distracted by any mysterious stuff when battle droids were already all over the place. Though, she still wondered over the unexplainable behaviour of the beowolves, keeping her pondering about what their encounter meant.

Eventually, the Jedi Master ran towards his battered Padawan, relieved to see that she was alright, albeit with dirt and mud splashed all over her.

"We saw the blast." said Kenta. "We managed to push the droids back a bit to find you, but you weren't at the blast site. I was sure you managed to drag yourself out of the blast." But as Kenta spoke to her, Ruby didn't seem to pay attention, looking elsewhere. She still gazed her eyes towards the spot where the beowolves disappeared into the forest, having that weird meeting fresh in her head. Noticing this, Kenta spoke up again.

"What happened?" he asked. At last, Ruby stopped dazing, shaking her head before turning her attention back to Kenta. She didn't know what to say to him; her encounter with the wolves was just too weird, even in Jedi standards.

"I'm fine." assured Ruby, still unsure of her discovery.

"Well, we have to get out of here." warned Kenta. "More droids are incoming." With a nod of her head, Ruby followed her Master through the swamp and off to the rendezvous point. She heard the blaster fire getting closer to their position, forcing them to flee the area and leaving behind the wolves for Ruby to question on.

After running off, the Jedi eventually managed to catch up with the rest of their troops. There, Ruby found two gunships already on the ground, with troopers entering into them. Ruby was relieved to see Zee there as well, already on the gunship, chirping to the two to hurry up. They both got on the same gunship the droid was in, just before the shutters closed in and the ships took off.

In the air, Ruby looked out the thin viewports, watching the ground get further and further. Her thoughts did not only lie on the loss of the battle she was in, but also more towards the strange meeting between human and animal she experienced with a pack of ravenous wolves.

* * *

Checkpoint Beta,

Marthon,

Azermoth System,

Outer Rim Territories,

And the Republic was back to square one of the offensive; one of many failed assaults.

Not even with the leadership of the Jedi could the clone troopers push their way through the combined forces of the battle droids and their local militia allies. The open fields of mud were already a death trap as soldiers ran across, only to be ambushed by the mud-burrowing worm-like Marthonians, jumping out of their foxholes and killing anyone who came their way. Once the troopers were taken out, the droids finished up by taking out the walkers at the rear. If only the Jedi could push forward and take the flank, the Republic would have stood a chance, but even they couldn't go any further than the main forces did.

Now, safely out of the battlefield, Ruby, Kenta and Zee made it back to the nearest camp to replenish their strengths. The majority of the battalion deployed also retreated back here, multiple troops wounded and out of breath from running into the mud for an agonizing period of time.

Among the soldiers who survived the retreat, to Ruby's extra relief, was Duo. He volunteered to take the fight in the main assault. Ruby knew he was mainly in it for the excitement, but the wild clone also didn't want to get caught in the **really** muddy side of the battle. Lucky him; she had to jump through thick swamp through the entire battle.

"The Separatists knocked us good out there, lass." groaned Duo, scratching the bald sides of his head. "We still didn't stand much of a chance on the main assault either." Ruby patted the clone on the back, at least feeling glad that he was safe.

"You did good, Duo. I'm sure." She comforted her loyal soldier, causing him to chuckle and nudged Ruby on the shoulder.

"You sure look like you've been swallowed up by a sand burrower!" Duo laughed, referring to the dirt and blast soot all over her face and dress. "What happened to you?"

"I nearly got blown up by a missile." joked Ruby.

"Lucky thing you made it out of there, lass."

"Luck's got nothing to do with it, Duo." reminded Ruby, remembering what most of her Masters would say about the Jedi not believing in such random miracles. It was only the will of the Force that drove its beings to do great things, guiding anyone who possessed the will to serve its power. After her friendly chat with Duo, Ruby stood back up to find her old Master to reassess their battle plan.

"I gotta go find Kenta. Be sure to wash up before the next offensive, Duo." She waved to Duo as she moved off to join Kenta.

"Like I actually need a shower, lass." joked Duo, knowing that he was going back into the thick of the mud, anyway.

Ruby kept on moving back to the briefing for the next assault, hoping that things would be much better this time. She turned to a small area of the camp that was the maintenance area, where a few astromech droids were repairing a battle tank. Among the droids doing the work, Zee was fixing up the right wing part of the TX-130 tank, with a few battle damage scratched around the metal plating.

The Jedi Knight went over and bent to her droid, stroking on his dome and getting his attention. Afterwards, the droid stopped his work and followed Ruby on her way back to Kenta.

Ruby had some thoughts running around in her head, and most of it was not because of the battle ahead. Her mind was still toying around with what happened back in her previous encounters with the beowolves.

All her time reading and listening to stories of how beowolves would attack their prey with little remorse and much aggression, this was one of the most extraordinary things she had ever encountered. It wasn't wrong that beowolves were usually very territorial and would almost always attack anything that got in their way. According to Kenta, even scientists confirmed that the beowolf's provocative nature was warranted (not that Kenta was the right guy to talk about these things, given his apparent fear of beowolves).

So, if these creatures were so deadly, then why was there a sort of connection between her and one of these wolves? Why did it not attempt to kill her after she was being dragged by another of its kind? What could it want from her?

Ruby's head was being riddled with more questions than answers. She walked idly by with such mystery shrouding her that she couldn't really focus on the more important battle against the Separatists. She was unable to get her head back in the game because it was so strange, and Ruby was always one to be curious about the bizarre.

Then, on her way to the briefing, something stirred inside her. A creepy feeling that she felt before. A sensation that was like calling out to her, telling her to turn around.

As it turned out, it was the same one she sensed when she saw the beowolf twice. Knowing this, she turned around to feel for the presence again. She looked up to the hills, where a patch of trees stood and hanging on the slopes. Taking a closer look, there she saw, again, another beowolf.

Intrigued, she walked towards it, stopping just a metre away from where she last stood to look out more. She gleamed on towards the beowolf's location, watching its glowing eyes staring down at her again. She could see its leg and confirm that it was the same beowolf she rescued and, in turn, saved her.

This time, however, her latest encounter had something new…

For some reason, she could feel something warm deep inside of her. When that wolf looked at her, she could feel something like a need to communicate. It was really like this wolf was calling her.

Ruby really couldn't put a finger on how to go around with this. She had to know why she was feeling this way. Was there really something more to these seemingly dangerous beasts that she never knew was possible? The plot thickened, and for a young Jedi who loved to hear of tales of mystery, she had to get to the bottom of it.

But her mind was also set on the reality of war that was happening right now. There was a battle happening many miles away, and she needed to be there to lead the troops to battle. She had to listen in on what she needed to do next and focus on winning those airfields.

Whether she was having her mind set on the battle, however, she couldn't resist looking into the beowolf. The wolf's glare was alluring, like it was using the Force to command her interests. Either that, or Ruby was really just that enamoured by mystery to begin with. There was nothing she could do to convince her to forget the beowolf.

She had to find out what was pulling her in; to find what was so special about this beowolf that made her question everything about them. So, with another moment to think it through, Ruby eventually chose to investigate. She had to know why this ominous feeling was dragging her in. She could always come back later before the ships would take off. Maybe Kenta would tell her the details once she was done. He would understand, right?

"Ruby?" She flinched. Yeah… Somehow, about Kenta understanding her needs, not so much… "Where are you going?" She turned around to see her Master, standing right behind her with his arms crossed. His intuition was already on point to help him collect on what Ruby would be up to. That was the point of being a Master, she supposed.

"Uh…" Ruby tried to find an excuse to cover up her plans. She knew Kenta wouldn't be so supportive over distractions that could put her off from the course of her missions. She had to find a reasonable way to make Kenta approve of her decision to go. "Just going out for more scouting."

"You know I can tell when you're hiding something, right?" Kenta's eyebrow was raised, not convinced of what she said. "Come on, Rubes. Tell me what's bothering you."

"Oh, you know! Can't be too sure if some of those probe droids are around. I can track them down and make sure our base's secured."

Kenta's face was as readable as an open data-pad, not easily fooled and simply unamused. In fact, he already knew something was distracting his former Padawan. It's happened one too many times that there should be no point lying to him, and yet, here she was, trying to wing it.

But Kenta had to acknowledge something about Ruby. She was already a Knight, and no matter how much she had to learn, she was always going to run off to find her own ways to solve their problems. While her endeavours were more questionable than helpful, he knew all of them somehow managed to help him overcome their issues.

"I suppose you do have a point." And yet, he couldn't shake that gut feeling that her little adventure was more than just a scouting mission. "But I'm not so sure you have to go alone this time."

"Come on, Master!" whined Ruby, letting her inner kid out. "I need some time to go around on my own. You said so yourself, remember?" Kenta sighed. Ruby's childish personality was always hard to put up with. Aged fifteen, and she still throws her puppy dog eyes at him.

That trick wouldn't work on Masters like him as much as it would to any other person out there; Ruby should know this. It all came down to, whether or not, Ruby was able to go on her own with her own experience.

Her mission to Iego, her lone trek up the cliffs of Igma Dun, and all other subsequent runs by herself were all very clear indicators that she was able to at least take care of herself within some good distance from him. If she had to go out and search for enemy scouts in the forest, then she may have been growing more aware of her surroundings. A sign of growth, to say the least.

"Oh, alright." Kenta gave in, at last. "But be sure to be back in half an hour." Ruby smiled at her Master's acceptance, almost ready to run off right away.

"Don't worry! I'll be back as soon as I can!" At the speed of light, Ruby ran off to the hills, to find out what was really happening out there, to finally get some answers. And she wouldn't really be lying about the whole 'hunting for scouts' thing, since she was going into the forests again.

Kenta watched as the young Jedi disappeared into the swamp, shaking his head over her excitement for adventure; something that Order did well to discourage. And still, Ruby Rose was one heck of an explorer…

 **BEEP BEEP!**

And if the fact that Ruby was going away from the battlefield wasn't enough, a certain astromech was all too keen to roll away to join her.

"And where do you think you're going?" Kenta perked towards ZW-23, who he caught going the same direction Ruby did. The little droid turned around to address his need to accompany her, beeping and chirping to tell him that. Kenta couldn't really understand the droid, but from the way he 'talked', he could feel that it might have wanted to follow her anyway. In spite of how he felt about their attachments to each other, he didn't really have time to argue; there was a battle he needed to plan out.

"Just make sure she doesn't get lost… again." he agreed. Besides, at least something should keep an eye on Ruby. Satisfied over his agreement to let him go, Zee rotated around and trailed along to where Ruby may have gone to, leaving Kenta to contemplate over what kind of mess Ruby would get herself into next.

After leaving the camp to pursue her quest, Ruby packed her belongings and, followed by Zee, who managed to catch up to his friend, trailed into the forest in search of the beowolf that caught the former's attention.

Zee felt the threads at the bottom of his legs being dragged across the mud, clogging up the motors and busting up his fuel cells. Irritating to the droid, he couldn't stop beeping unhappily to Ruby over how tired he was from crossing this dreaded muddy swamp, saying she owed him an oil bath when they returned to Coruscant.

Ruby couldn't help but groan, understanding every bit of Binary that came out of his vocal processor, all the way down to the curses. She turned herself around to face the droid, while still walking backwards.

"I know we're going too far, Zee." she said out of annoyance of his complaints. "But I have to know what's out there." She continued her course, still hearing the numerous complaints from Zee. She then heard him asking about what it was that got her so stoked about; why she decided to come back to this dirty muck for?

"Hey. I didn't ask you to come with me, right?" she then shot back with a bit of spunk. " **You** decided to follow along, so it's your word against mine." Zee deadpanned, just choosing to remain silent as he followed along with defeat. Yeah, for a droid so old, he had to recalibrate how he was going to communicate his frustrations more. But Ruby did answer Zee's question, just to let him in on what they were about to get into. Not that Zee would understand, but she thought it was worth mentioning the goals of her search. "There's something weird going on around here. Something about that wolf…"

Zee buzzed loudly, shocked that Ruby was looking for a beast, of all things. Wasn't she supposed to be looking for enemy scouts or spies? No, a freaking beowolf! From what she's told him, beowolves are ferocious animals, carnivores who would love to kill at the slightest sight of organic flesh. And who knew what they would do to droids?!

But Ruby didn't care; she had to find out what was causing this strange presence that was calling to her. She always imagined that the beowolves had this ability to allure their prey using some sort of scent that pulled its prey. However, Ruby felt something different from this effect. Almost as if whatever was pulling her in was like the Force. If her intuition was true, then perhaps she could find some connection between her and the beowolf.

If the Force really did will it, then there could be something good out of this.

 **BRRSSHH!**

Suddenly, Ruby jumped, making a sharp turn of her head. Some brushing in the bushes alerted her and Zee. The droid too rotated his head backwards at the moment Ruby turned. The two of them saw the bushes shook at the slightest, seeing the leaves vibrate.

 **BRRRSH!**

Again, this time at the bushes in front of them. After that, there was silence before, after a few more seconds, the bushes sounded off again. The two were being surrounded by forces running here and there, toying with them.

Ruby wanted to grab her lightsaber, in case it was a Separatist ambush, but she didn't fully grasp on using it, knowing that it could be the wolves themselves. She kept her watch, ready to jump up and tackle whoever was going to attack her and Zee.

And then, right from the trees, Ruby finally laid her eyes on the being that was tracking her. Out of the woods, a large four-legged beowolf emerged, standing with all its ferocity. Instantly, Ruby found herself being stalked by a wolf that was already snarling at her. She took a look at its leg, not seeing the bandage there.

Then, out of the blue, another wolf approached the scene. It, along with its pack mate, growled at Ruby and Zee, creeping up to them cautiously. The Jedi couldn't do anything to attack them, so she held her hand out, carefully not showing any signs of aggression or provocation.

She had to wonder why she thought this was such a good idea…

"Uh… hello. I'm not going to hurt you guys. I just wanna see… uh…" she stuttered. "Do you happen to know a certain wolf among you? You know, big, strong, has a blue bandage wrapped around its leg?" Ruby's questions were silenced when the wolves kept sneering at her, seemingly intent on having her for came up closer, Ruby and Zee getting more and more desperate for a way out. "I don't want to hurt you…"

Afterwards, when the wolves were about to close in more, they suddenly stopped. As Ruby saw what happened, they backed off, bowing their heads down and separating from each other. Right in between them, a third wolf stepped right into the fray. Surely enough, when Ruby looked at its legs, there she saw it; the bacta bandage she applied, now already having been soaked with mud, clouding the once bright blue texture.

"There you are!" Ruby cheered, more relaxed now that she had found the wolf. "Oh, boy! You have no idea how good it is to see y-!"

 **GRRRR!**

But as she came to touch it, one of the wolves stepped and growled, causing Ruby to jump back with a shriek.

"What?!" she shouted, throwing her arms in frustration. "I saved your friend from that poacher's trap and this is how you thank me?!" And still, the wolves growled at her. Ruby backed away, not going to go any further with the argument before she would her arm bitten off. "Okay! Okay! I get it! You want to call it even for saving me, right?"

The wolf with the bandage, however, stayed in place without making any defensive movements on its own, like it was enjoying the little exchange between its friends and the human being. Ruby stomped her foot on the mud, splashing a bit on her hands, turning away with her arms crossed.

"What am I doing? I'm talking to a beowolf here." she huffed before she walked away, thinking of a way to go along with this awkward meeting. Now that she was here, now what? What could the wolves possibly want with her now?

She looked at them and saw the beasts still keeping their eyes beaming at her. While the two wolves were still unsettled with Ruby's appearance, the other seemed unfazed, still at ease behind its friends. She watched the two turn to it and laid down at its sides, with their eyes still on Ruby. As the third wolf relaxed, the Jedi needed a way to get the wolves to accept her contact.

Then, she had an idea. She stood up, reaching for her backpack and pulled out something that might be of use to her. In her hand, a bar of jaboon jerky used mainly for rations, but here, she thought it would be good to show some generosity.

"Zee. Hold my backpack." Ruby handed the backpack to the astromech, who carried it with his own arms. She then proceeded to move over to the wolves with her jerky in hand. The two wolves stood up in response to her movement, going back to defensive mode while the third wolf stayed where it was.

"Here. It's for you." Ruby called out to it. "Take it! It's on me!" Seeing the treat in her hand, the wolf looked on, staring at the object this human was showing. Suddenly, its nose began twitching at the smell of meat, pulling it towards the food Ruby was holding. It got up and walked past the wolves. The Jedi could jump at the surprising reaction from the wolf, but she couldn't risk making a reckless move that could provoke the beasts. She closed the gap, coming closer towards the wolf as it, too, made its way towards the Jedi.

Ruby kept her movement at a calm pace, doing her best not to panic at the deadly appearance of the beowolf. She held out her hand and stayed in place, waiting for whatever the wolf would do. She kept her emotions in check, avoiding the risk of spooking the creature.

She closed her eyes, trusting the Force to carry her on. She reached out and waited for the wolf to take the snack from her hand, hoping that it wouldn't bite hers off. At once…

 **SNAP!**

Ruby pulled her hand away, just in time to see if her fingers were intact. She gave her a hand a wriggle of her fingers, feeling all five of them still there to wriggle around. Relieved, she then turned her head to the wolf, watching it chew on the rations she gave it. The sight of the beast enjoying the food she gave it was heart-warming, given that it was her who decided to donate it. No signs of hostility and definitely a good hint that it accepted her generous offer, Ruby tied her hands behind her, bending forward to talk to the wolf.

"There. That wasn't so hard, right?" And yet, even as it finished its food, the wolf did nothing. All it did was give her one neutral stare before walking back to its group, lying back in the same spot where it was. Slightly disappointed that she didn't have anything else to do, Ruby shrugged her shoulders and proceeded to sit herself next to Zee by a tree stump. "At least you're happy with your food."

She slumped down with her back against the cut off stump, laying down after such a stressful showdown between girl and wolf. As she eyed the wolves coming together to relax, she was starting to have second thoughts over this endeavour.

She came all this way here, out in the forests of muddy filth, to meet the beowolf who apparently wanted to meet her, only to receive such a lacklustre interaction between them. Ruby was sure it was all just in her head; maybe that blast from the missile must have really scrambled her mind.

But there was no doubt that she **did** feel something real when she laid her eyes on that wolf multiple times. If so, then there should have been something, right? The wolf didn't attack her after she rescued it, after all. So, that should give out some hint…

Alas, she sat there, pondering over what was plaguing her mind into going out this far into the forest just to get some unpleasant meeting with the wolves.

Then, when she was about to think about what to do next, she felt something push her shoulder. The moment she turned her head to see what happened, she almost shrieked, seeing that the wolf had returned to her side, now just inches away from her own face. Despite her response, the wolf just kept on getting closer, causing Ruby to back up a little.

When it reached enough, it then did the unthinkable. It shifted its head to its side and rubbed it against her body. Ruby couldn't believe what she was seeing, baffled that it decided to take its sweet time to adjust to her.

"Oh, great. **Now** , you want to come over here and nuzzle me…" she groaned, still a bit shaken after the sudden appearance of the wolf within her space. Before long, the wolf came up to sit next to her, just enough for Ruby to feel the soft fur on it.

When Ruby felt the fur brushing against her, she took her hand and stroked the fine edges of the brown hair and, despite being filled with mud and dirt, began to pat the wolf. From here, her fears and doubts were slowly fading off, replaced with fascination and a peace of mind.

Following this phenomenon, Ruby could hear more footsteps coming her way, eyeing the other two wolves, the very wolves who were more hostile to her, coming to do the same. They took their places to her sides, resting alongside their friend and putting aside their territorial nature to finally be close to this human being.

As they sat around her, Ruby could remember the softness of their furs from a long memory. Soft fur being felt along her body in a dazing sense of comfort. It almost reminded her of Zwei… and home…

"So soft…" she sighed with content. She turned her head to the leading wolf, who raised its head to stare into her own silver eyes. Looking into those yellow eyes, Ruby felt the same ominous sensation racing through her mind, letting her know that the wolf's intent on getting close to her was all true. She could feel a strange harmonious aura that emanated from the creature, something she would never think to come from an animal so aggressive on nature.

It was as Master Yoda once said that was true to this situation;

All of life, part of the living Force, it is…

Now, Ruby believed it was thanks to the Force that she was able to get in touch with the beowolves; something once thought only possible with extreme taming and professional handling. Now, a young Jedi. barely knighted, was able to become friends with these dangerous critters after only a few hours.

"I guess you're not such a big bad wolf, after all." she said as she petted the wolf on the head, in which it gladly allowed her to do so, letting the soft hand rustle on her hand. She was content to letting these wolves settle down with her for who knew how long. This was such a rare occurrence that she couldn't afford to leave them, unsure of how else she was going to have this chance to get in touch with nature like this.

Eventually, however, Ruby's ears whirled at the sounds of distant booming coming from far away. She stood up, leaving the resting wolves down on the ground before she walked over to the end of the tree lines to see the vast land overlooked by the hills she was on. She leaned herself onto one of the trees balancing itself on the incline, witnessing the explosions sounding off and the smoke rising from the muddy land. The fact that she had to report herself for battle completely slipped past her mind.

She had to bring herself back home before Kenta would start to wonder what was taking her so long. She looked back at the wolves still resting by the stump, feeling the disappointment of letting the chance of experiencing this wild encounter slip right past her. Conversely, she supposed that it was all still worth it, having something extraordinary to tell her friends back home at the Temple.

After contemplating, Ruby returned to Zee, grabbing up the backpack and signalling for the droid to get up and leave. After slinging the bag on her shoulder, she disembarked, about to bid goodbye to the wolves who directed their heads towards her as she left.

But as she was about to leave, the wolves soon began to move out on their own. One by one, they stood up and ran off to the thick of the forest again.

"Hey! Where're you going?" Ruby called, wondering where the wolves were going in such a hurry before she could even say a word. She watched as the wolves vanished into the forest, seemingly off back into the wilderness.

But just as the third wolf was about to leave, it then stopped, catching Ruby's attention as it turned its head back to look at her. The Jedi took a good look as it then turned its head to the trees before looking back at her again. From the motion of the head going back and forth, Ruby could feel that there was something to that gesture that told her of its intention. As it kept waiting, she had to implore on the message it was trying to convey.

"You want me to follow you?" The wolf didn't say anything. Just after Ruby implied, the wolf soon turned away and ran into the forest. From there, the Jedi sensed that the wolf was telling her to go on with it, following the pack into the forest to whatever it may concern her. She looked back at the direction of the base, pondering about the waiting Master and her troops who were about to embark on their next assault. She knew Kenta would be getting restless over her long absence and had to get back to him to join them.

However, there was that tempting feeling eating inside of her, almost like a voice telling her to follow the wolves. There had to be something very important that they were trying to lead her to; something special that required her presence.

She didn't know what it was, but that itching feeling was pulling her away from the reality of battle and she couldn't but feel that it was… necessary?

"Come on, Zee!" No matter what, she had to follow her instincts; if something was telling her to follow the wolves, she had to have listened to it and go along. That left her droid buzzing wildly at her again, crazed by whatever in Ruby's right mind was distracting her. Unfortunately for the little droid, he had no choice but to tag along, following its owner into the forests as she darted off.

Ruby had to find out what the wolves were telling her. Something about their encounter seemed to offer a lot more than she had once imagined. Whatever it was, she had to investigate, feeling that it could lead her to a greater cause in this place.

* * *

 _Thirty minutes later_

The battle was already raging down in the fields, Kenta was probably in the thick of it by now, and Ruby was here, following a trio of beowolves to who knew where she was being led to.

She trailed behind the pack for over half an hour, jumping around through the trees, and avoiding contact with the mushy ground beneath her. She kept her eyes on the wolves as they ran through the jungle, leading Ruby to their destination, wherever that was.

Behind her, below on the ground, Zee was doing his best not to get his threads clogged with mud, taking the slower, longer routes around the swamp muck. He kept his optics on Ruby as she skipped between following the wolves and making sure her loyal droid companion was not left behind.

Ruby kept her toes up and maintained her trek, following the wolves who would always appear randomly after each time she would lose them. From the way they kept appearing for her, there was definitely something going on that was calling out to her.

The will of the Force through the wild, perhaps?

After a little more jumping, Ruby eventually made her way to a small clearing of forest, where the dimming sun shined its last rays upon the ground. Down there, she could see all three wolves, stopped near a hill filled with swamp plants all over the ground over what looked like a large boulder dug right into the ground.

She jumped down from the last branch to finally touch down on the mud once more. She heard the recognizable whirring sound of Zee's rotors following close behind. After the droid caught up, Ruby then returned her focus on the wolves, as they sat expectantly for her again.

She closed in to find out what they wanted from her. The three canines were all sitting, when Ruby noticed them all sitting down while facing the same direction; towards the rock on the hill. She continued to beam her eyes on the spot to determine what bothered the animals, seeing nothing but rock beneath the vines of the swamp.

From where she was, she could hear the continuous sounds of low booming and crashing of explosions happening close to her, much louder and clearer than it was before she followed the wolves. That was already telling her that she went all the way from one side of the battlefield to the other.

At that point, she had just realized that she had run right towards the enemy side, close to their base on her own with only her droid and a pack of beowolves to back her up.

Her senses riled up upon realizing this, putting herself in a state of caution for any enemy patrols, mentally cursing at herself for not thinking this through. Yes, it was her objective to reach the enemy base in this fight, but she didn't really want to venture out on her own without her Master or her clone troopers.

All she had to do for now was keep a close eye on the wolves for whatever business they wanted with her.

"Can you just tell me why you're bringing me all the way here?" Ruby urged, clearly not seeing the bigger picture. The wolves then moved up towards the rock, looking right back at her as if telling her to come closer. At that moment, the young Knight did feel something rather strange around that area. Keeping her face directed at the rock, she decided to put her Jedi training to the test and looked beyond what her eyes told her.

Moving closer, she rubbed her palm against the rock, remembering the lessons taught to her from time and time again.

 _Trust what you see, not what you_ _ **think**_ _you see. Never let your own eyes determine what is in front of you. Feel the Force and let it guide you to the right path._

Ruby used her senses, letting her body go and channeled the Force around her to feel for a new direction. Reaching out to the energy field for an answer, she concentrated her mind to find the path she needed. Maybe it had something to do with the rock? The wolves certainly felt something, so could there be something deeper than what she thought?

After taking time to meditate on her senses, she was able to detect something off about the rock in front of her. From her telepathic trance, she was able to sense a definite path leading somewhere into the hill. There was an open route from behind this rock that told her to reach out and move it away to see what secrets it held.

Ruby stepped back, with the wolves giving her space to do whatever she might do. With the rise of her palm towards the rock, she concentrated her power and led the Force around it. Raising her arm upwards, she put in her strength of mind to levitate the rock away. Upon grabbing hold of the rock with the Force, Ruby felt the tight hold of the mud, trapping the rock down, forcing her to wriggle it out of place. Through the Force, she could feel the rough edgy rock vibrate its way out of the thick trap of mud and vines. Within a minute of levitating, the rock finally broke free, eroding the ground and snapping the vegetation off.

After the rock was lifted up and the ground given way, Ruby saw what was beneath it earlier. Gazing on the ground, she could see a metal circle that was attached to the ground, with its centre having a panel with a cross pattern, like a metal door.

"What's this?" Once she put down the rock, Ruby could finally identify what she saw. The sight of this metal panel was almost enough to excite her of whatever possibilities she could exploit. She looked around the panel to find more leads, and eventually, she found a small button on the side. Pressing on it, the panel opened up, revealing a long tube that went into the ground. And a long tube into the ground could only mean one thing…

"A secret tunnel!" Ruby could only taste the thrill of adventure and accomplishment, guessing where the tunnel would lead her. Judging by how close she was to the enemy base, this might be one of those small entrances that connected it with one of the Marthonian militia foxholes used for ambush on the clones. As far as she knew, the tunnels would form a network, opening up a path that could lead her to the enemy base. From here, she could follow into it and find her way right into the enemy airfield. With any chance she had, she would sneak right into the base and shut down the droid forces on her own.

"Good job." She brushed on the lead wolf's head as it happily accepted the touch of friendship Ruby gave it. After she thanked the wolves for leading her this far, she proceeded to check on where this tunnel would lead her to. Zee followed behind, crawling into the long tube of mudded metal walls and a slippery floor, leaving behind the wolves to venture out and help her armies out elsewhere.

Well, at least she'll have a good reason to tell Kenta why she wasn't present in the next assault.

* * *

Separatist Airbase,

Marthon,

Azermoth System,

Outer Rim Territories,

After crawling into the hidden tunnel she found in the forest, Ruby and Zee snuck right into the network, slowly squeezing through the tight openings and avoiding any contact with the local militia. The worm-like Marthonians were certainly very flexible, because the Jedi had a lot of trouble getting through without getting filthy or disgusted by the surrounding mud and dirt being smudged on her face, swamp water dripping down onto her head. She felt nothing but revolting displeasure from having moist being smeared onto her face, driving her nerves to the point of irritation.

Regardless, she made her way through without turning back, doing her best to evade Marthonian militiamen without hurting them, still sure that they could be spared from the horrors of war if she could disarm the droid armies and drive them to surrender.

In the end, the two little travellers were able to cross into the tunnels long enough to reach an end. Coming out from another exit, Ruby peered her head over to find out where she and Zee ended up at.

On both sides, she could see two towering buildings, shadowing over her spot, while a good amount of crates and other containers were scattered across the space underneath the shadows. Away from the shady area, a flat land of metal road, occupied by standing vulture droid starfighters, parked within a straight line. All the while, a few battle droids were seen riding on a hovercraft, cruising right past the gap between the two buildings around Ruby. Seeing the fighters there, her excitement flared, indicating that she was well within the enemy airbase, just as planned.

Moving forward with a mischievous grin, Ruby opened up the hatch and hopped out of the hole. Using the Force, she lifted her droid up from the small opening, popping the little guy from out the hatch before closing it shut. With the two behind enemy lines, the mission was about to begin.

Now that she was in the airbase, all she had to do was find the central control station where she could have Zee work his magic to sabotage the aerial power of the Separatists. From her hiding place, she began her run to her target, sneaking past a whole garrison of battle droids and an entire force of vulture droids which could very well activate upon detecting her and attack.

Ruby shifted towards the line of vulture droids, all which were being refuelled before they would be sent out. Hiding behind the wedge-shaped legs of the inactive fighters, she waited for a patrol of droids to march away from sight, stomping right past the droids as she hid by. When the first squad left the scene, Ruby immediately sped off to the nearest hangar bay that was closest to the main command base, which she identified as the huge structure with the radar dishes stuck on top of a cylindrical top floor, set right at the very centre of the entire complex.

Once the coast was clear, she ran off again, picking her feet up towards the next lane of landed Hyena bombers; the larger fighters with two vulture heads instead of one, also dormant before their upcoming launch for the battle. Ruby could see the sheer size of these bombers, well aware that the combined firepower of the five droids would easily decimate the armies down on the ground. She had to hurry and shut down the facility to give the ground forces enough room to storm through the defences without the troubles of air cover.

With enough speed and cover, she was able to reach the base of the building, ready to enter through the large supply bay where the droids could load their cargo for the campaign into.

The two intruders were able to climb up onto the catwalks right above the huge assortment of cargo containers and huge boxes. Of course, with Zee around, Ruby had to sneak a lot more to get the little guy up the lift towards the suspended walkways.

On their way, a lone battle droid was watching from above, keeping an eye on the transferring of a large container entering the bay via a loader droid. Unfortunately for it, when it was about to turn to its left, it was suddenly pulled by an unknown force before all light faded away in an instant. The pieces of the totalled droid were quickly thrown off as Ruby pulled it towards her and minced it to bits, with the parts flying down into the thick of the supply containers down below. Good, one droid down, probably about a hundred more to go…

Ruby and Zee were about to move out again, with her knees bent for slower and quieter steps. As she looked down again, she could see the large form of a tank, rolling along the clear path that led right for the door. From out the hatch located on the droid tank's turret, she spotted what looked like a Kerkoiden, blue-skinned and his snout drooping down to chest level like a tear drop dangling. Peering out of the tank with his hunched body, the seemingly relaxed commander looked forward as the floating vehicle hovered on.

From her previous meetings in the war rooms, Ruby could easily make out the unmistakable image of the enemy commander; that of Commander Terk Loathsom of the Separatist Army, once the second-in-command of his brother, Whorm Loathsom of the Retail Caucus.

The Kerkoiden General looked around him, seeing the two lines of battle droids flanking his tank in a forward march. He took a bottle from within the hatch and gulped down the drink before letting out a powerful and refreshed exhalation of air. He then threw the empty bottle onto one of the battle droids, shattering it in the process.

"Hurry up, you lousy machines!" bellowed the General. "The battle awaits. The Republic will feel the fires of my power!" The General then laid back, resting his head back as the tank cruised on. After the capture of his brother at the hands of the Republic forces on Christophsis, Terk was left to assume command of the Caucus soon after, finally given the chance to lead an army after being told by Whorm to stay behind at Kerkoidia. He always thought lowly of his brother, and the moment he was captured by the Jedi, he laughed at his misfortune and immediately set up his own share of the Retail Caucus under his command.

Ruby watched on for a while, waiting for the tank to drive off. If she was spotted by the General, then she was going to be at the receiving end of the cannon, not to mention the two side cannons of the AAT that could rip her to pieces.

As the tank was moving further and further away, Ruby then slowly crept on across the catwalk and onwards for her main goal for the droid control station. But on her way, she could hear one of the battle droids shout out.

"Incoming!" Ruby instinctively grabbed Crescent Rose and unfolded it, fearing the worst from being detected by the droids. When she looked down, however, she saw that the droids, fortunately, were not aiming at her, but rather outside the doors, to find a rather peculiar sight.

From out the hangar doors, Ruby saw what looked like a group of three large canine creatures, rushing right for the tank in the middle of the room. The bunch of wolves that Ruby was all too familiar with.

"Zee, look!" She pointed out the wolves to her droid. "It's the wolves again." Her eyes stuck to the sight of the three same wolves who helped her find a way into the airbase, now watching them charge right for the General's tank, shocking Ruby as to how they could just attack something so large, so mechanical, so overpowering.

"Those mangy dogs again!" shouted the General, ordering the droids to then attack the wolves. "Fire!"

Ruby could squeal in horror as the droids let loose their blasters, throwing off a barrage of plasma bolts, darting towards the wolves. To her added surprise, however, the wolves seemed to go right through the barrage without harm, jumping from one side to the other before digging right into the formation, sinking their teeth into some of the droids before moving onto the next.

The onslaught continued for the next few seconds, after two droids were mercilessly mauled to pieces. To see an end to this, General Terk decided to deal with the problem himself; aiming his gun turret onto the wolves.

Ruby's eyes shot out, panicked after seeing the barrel of the gun lowered and aiming right at them. Just before the General could fire, Ruby quickly reached her hand out, thrusting it out over the walkway and attempted to stop the tank from firing. By using the Force, she managed to swipe the General's control over the tank, slightly rotating the turret to the side, just before it fired a large round onto the ground on the right. The blast crippled the cargo boxes around the explosion, scaring the wolves that were thankfully saved. The resulting blast soon caused the wolves to cease their attack and retreat out the door to safety.

Ruby sighed, thankful that the beowolves were safe. However, something about their sudden arrival raised her eyebrows.

After the sudden attack, General Terk, having been satisfied with the wolves' retreat, shook his head after the failed set of kills. He couldn't tell what had caused him to be pushed from out of nowhere. It all felt like a powerful force of wind that knocked his aim off. If it was so sudden, a good number of suggestions might have been jogged in his head, but, alas, the intoxication swirling in him only limited his guesses to one.

"Must have had too much of that booze." The General dismissed the occurrence, before returning to his duties. "Clean this mess up!" he then bellowed, ordering some nearby droids to sweep up the carnage caused by the wolves.

Now, Ruby was left to wonder why in the world would the wolves come all this way to cause such trouble. Did they come to help? Was this their territory and the Separatists were intruding? Something was driving them here to attack the droids and the General, and it was starting to feel like it didn't have anything to do with her. Maybe it was something even more important for them.

Then, Ruby heard the bombastic voice of Terk roaring across the bay, giving her the answer she needed to hear.

"Those disgusting creatures! They dare enter here, thinking they could rescue their little puppy?! Bah! That creature's going to make me a rich man!"

The Separatists kidnapped a young wolf pup, and the wolves were pursuing them to find and free it. Worse still, it was going to be sold as an accessory! From what she heard, there was growing dissent and realization over the horrible deeds of the General, and the actions of the wolves to save one of their own.

"So, that's why they wanted to see me." she said to herself. "They wanted me to help save their pup." But from one crisis to another, the Jedi was now overcome with a dilemma, yet again. She had her priority to enter the base and stall the droids long enough for the assault to go on, but fate seemed to give her a new path to do what was right. Which would she choose? Could she side-line either and pursue the other? Did she have the time for both?

No. If she had to do what was right, then she had to choose, not be tempted to overdo herself with additional complications. So, what would it be? Saving the army, or save the pup?

Eventually, it was clear to Ruby that she had to the right thing. Finally giving into one choice, she made up her mind. She then turned to Zee, whispering into the droid's audio receptor.

"Zee. I need you to go to the control room alone." ordered Ruby. Zee beeped in disbelief. He couldn't believe what Ruby told him to do; venture into a base of killer droids all on his own. He wasn't very sure on heading off alone to finish the mission for her while she was out playing the hero for a pack of carnivorous beasts.

But Ruby had made her choice; she was going to save an innocent creature from the clutches of the Separatist tyrant in the tank. And if Zee could take on the job of taking out the droid army, then the Separatists as a whole would be thrown out of the land. Everything could end in peace. "You can do this, Zee. You know I have faith in you." Giving the droid a pat on the head and a warm smile to keep him comfortable, Ruby stood up and prepared to jump down and rescue the pup.

Zee shook his head before whirring off. He couldn't possibly understand the virtue of human recklessness, but he supposed that was what made them special. Ruby had the programming and the core to prove it; just as his old master did, several hundreds of years ago…

As he rolled away, he left the young Knight to fend for herself. Watching the tank down below, she stood over the railing, balancing herself perfectly on her two feet, looking for the right moment and spot to land and sneak into the cargo containers to locate the pup.

After the tank drove a few more metres away, Ruby leapt from the high altitude of the walkway and onto the ground, landing gracefully on the ground without harm. She then watched the tank continue to roll away, just good enough for her to run into the piles of crates and search for the wolf pup with the Force to guide her.

Deep within the collection of containers, she focused her mind and began searching for the young wolf, looking for anything that might lead her to it. She decided to look for anything that resembled a cage or a box with holes for the critter to breathe for. Her sights were set on scanning for the whole trip around the supply containers, looking for leads that indicated a crate meant for animal captivity.

Eventually, after searching for what felt like a whole ten minutes, Ruby would find nothing, not hearing a single whimper or bark from the pup. The lack of results was starting to make her feel restless as time passed on, getting desperate for any progress in her rescue mission.

Then, she began to realize that she was carrying out her search the wrong way, once again using her own two eyes to find the pup. If she had to do it right, she had to rely on the Force to help her look for the pup. And this time, instead of discovering for an inanimate path, she would might have had a better chance pinpointing the location of a breathing animal, a living creature that fed the Force with its energy.

Closing her eyes, she held her breath in, again empowering her link to the Force as it then flowed through the bay, sweeping through the room like a radar scan. Breathing in and breathing out in intervals, she would patiently dig through with her senses to find any signs of life that she could work with.

As she probed the whole area, she immediately found results. The good news was; she did find life forces within the crates, indicating that she was not far from the pup. The only trouble was, and to her frustration and grief, there was more than one lifeform hidden in a lot of the containers. Other than the apparently long task of finding through all of these, she was also livid that it wasn't just one wolf pup that was being held prisoner by the Separatists, but a whole collection of creatures, numbering by the hundreds.

Worse still, Ruby could feel the collective fears of every single creature around her, sharing with her the agony and desperation to escape and be free, the dreadful thought of being shipped away and being subjected to whatever horrid act that would befall them.

Judging by the sheer scale of the hoard and the overall fear felt from her connection, Ruby was certain that this was more than just a supply bay for the army. It was a warehouse for General Terk, and the creatures of the planet were to become animal trophies.

She felt her body burn up in anguish, baffled that someone would be this monstrous to take animals away from their homes or, worse, their families to be sent away where they would suffer under the iron fist of their captors. She began to guess that, earlier today, the trap that she found that trapped the adult beowolf in the mangrove forests indeed belonged to General Terk.

Here she was, in a supply bay filled with live animals, who were suffering under the rotten conditions of their cages. And the worst case scenario was; there could have been death within some of those containers…

Now fitting the pieces of the puzzle in place, she was beyond sickened; disgusted by the vile greed of a poacher, who just so happened to be the enemy commander leading the Separatists on the battlefield. It was about time she was ready to face that greedy little monster outside the hangar bay and bring him in for questioning, to be tried for the cruel capture of such innocent animals.

But then, she stopped herself. She ceased her angered feelings and breathed in again; this time, choosing to remain calm and stop feeling her anxiety from clouding her judgement and desired actions. She was reminded to not let her feelings become the pinnacle for her to do deeds that might plunge her closer to the Dark Side.

After she prevented herself from falling further into anger, she quickly decided to continue her search, bent on saving those that were still alive, especially the little wolf pup. She kept on reaching out into the Force and probed the scene. With better concentration, she exerted a little more focus in her mind, inhaling in more and fed her essence to the Force as it gave her a better picture of the interiors of the crates. She envisioned the aura that she felt from the wolves before, remembering what they smelt like, what they felt like when they brushed her with affection, and most of all, what she herself saw in their eyes.

After a brief moment to refocus her concentration, Ruby began to pick out more life signs, closing in on the one wolf pup she would save. Her senses tingled, finally closing in on the one lifeform that she eventually felt for. She could feel the same, revolting smell of swamp dirt on the same ruffled fur, emanating the same deadly energy shot out from the other wolves, trapped in the youthful stage of an infant creature.

When she finished, Ruby finally found her target. The young pup was found, not far from where she was, somewhere just a few feet behind her. Locked onto where the pup was, she stood up and went to look for the baby wolf.

* * *

Elsewhere, Zee was already deep within the enemy base, slight fidgeting inside his circuitry. He wasn't so sure of what to do in this situation; being an old, outdated T3 model, rolling within the corridors of a base filled with battle droids, that took up almost, based on his estimation, ninety percent of the droid population in the base. He believed that he stood out like a sore claw, a rusty patch within newly refined metal.

The moment he could stumble upon a battle droid, he would almost freak out, sure to be caught red-handed. He would then be dragged into a room where he would be tortured and have his innards extracted for data collection and processing, all before he would then be disintegrated for scrap.

Regardless, Zee had to fight his way into the base and help his new master win this battle. He was already up in the base's second floor, having managed to stroll through passing battle droids, who, for some reason, didn't seem to bat an optic sensor on him. Either their processors were not as toned or if he really was just another droid to them, these Grade Four droids were not as capable as he once thought. These were the droids that decimated countless organic beings in battle, and he was rolling past them like he was some spectre, unseen and unrecognized.

"Hey! You there!" Unfortunately, that was about to change… In a panic, Zee was approached by two lone battle droids, calling out to him with serious voices. He was about to panic, turning his head around in a frantic display of approaching a nervous breakdown. Now, he was caught between running away from the danger or just straight up confronting it. He had to finish the job for Ruby and the Republic. He had to go to that control room and stop the droid army from devastating the clones. That was his mission and he had to get it done!

Yet, he was already cornered between two battle droids, seemingly under suspicion of his presence. Zee had to act safe; he had that customary blaster fitted by Ruby in case of emergencies, but if he fired that weapon, the whole base would be alerted. He needed the element of surprise if he had any chance of reaching the control room.

"What are you doing out here?" asked the left battle droid with its hands on its hips. Zee scrambled through all the known lines of dialogue he would need to sway his way through them, and out of all the ones memorized, he would have to use the most common one of the book. He beeped out to the droids, telling them that he was proceeding to maintenance in one of the control consoles in the central control room.

"The central control room?" the other droid muttered, puzzled as to what Zee was beeping about.

"We didn't get any word of maintenance in the control room." cleared the first one. Zee nearly jumped, distraught that his little lie stumbled into a dead end. As the two droids in front of him pondered, his arm was rummaging inside, instinctively itching to draw out the blaster and take out the witnesses before it was too late.

Finally, they looked back at him, and Zee was almost ready to open up the panel on his body and fire his new weapon at them. And when he thought he was about to be brought in, they spoke up to him.

"I guess the last maintenance droid missed the spot." dismissed the left droid, shrugging his shoulders. The second droid, too, agreed to the simple conclusion that they had not checked their computers properly. Zee still had to wait anxiously, unsure if he was out of the woods yet.

"Alright, move along." At last, the battle droids decided to let him past, leaving a relieved Zee to thank the Maker for saving his motherboard. Without hesitation, he rolled on, passing the two droids and allowing them to resume their patrol into the corridors.

If Zee was capable of sweating, he'd take out his arm and wipe it all off. That was just too close for comfort. He always though his old body would be a dead giveaway, but alas, the obtuse programming of these Trade Federation B1's was something to laugh at and exploit. He just hoped he wouldn't stumble upon more questioning droids again.

Regardless, he resumed his journey through the base and into the control room, bent on stopping the droid fighters from launching. Even if the newer models of battle droids and fighters were now independent from the boundaries of a control core, they would still be rendered weaker without more complex input from the core. Basic communication would be non-existent, droid armies would be in disarray and the clones would follow up with a charge forward.

If he could pull this off, he could just very well save the Republic forces from being bombarded yet again. He could finally prove to the other droids back home that he helped win a big battle for the Jedi! A glorious victory was to come for this old geezer!

* * *

The Force guided Ruby to her destination as she hopped above the container, next to the very cage that held the missing wolf pup. Gently sneaking onto it, she then jumped down, watching for droids before coming face to face with the cage, fully covered by a large sheet of linen cloth.

To be sure, she stood next to the cage and rubbed her palm against the dusty sheet, checking to see if her senses were correct. Her intuition told her even more; the same collection of memories with the wolves now stronger in her head. Yes, this was definitely the cage with the pup inside. She could feel a quiet moment of peace within this wolf pup, most likely asleep. However, deep within the baby, she could feel that small presence of fear and pain in its soul, suggesting that it had been hurt by cruel treatment.

Her hand grabbed the sheet and, in one pull of her arm, threw it off, finding the little infant, curled up in its sleep. Its brown fur, slightly thinner and shorter than its adult contemporaries, messed up from its apparent captivity. She could see the wretched signs of starvation, visible through the bumps of the ribs pushing the skin.

As hard as it was to keep her emotions in check, she had to remain at peace, calmly proceeding to save the pup from its prison. But then, as she was about to look closer, the wolf pup began to squirm. It raised its head up and turned to see this human staring right at it. Immediately, the puppy whimpered, withdrawing itself back in fear. The high-pitched squeals of the wolf were almost loud enough to be heard from afar, let alone next to it.

"No, don't cry!" hushed Ruby, raising a finger to her lips as she whispered loudly at the pup. "I'm trying to get you out!" And still, the pup didn't stop, its whimpers getting louder and louder. Ruby feared that battle droids weren't far away from her, that they could hear the sounds of the pup and would investigate. In a panic, Ruby quickly looked for the control panel to open up the door of the cage and found it. After pressing on the button, the cage door slid upwards, allowing her access into the enclosed trap. But as she reached her hands out, the wolf pup then tried to bite her, snapping its jaws tight right after Ruby retreated.

Faced with an extremely difficult situation, Ruby needed to act quickly before any droids would find her. Without hesitation, she quickly threw her arms again, catching the wolf in a tight embrace that made it cry with barks. She then quickly ran behind a cargo container, keeping the wolf wrapped in her cape to prevent its sounds from being heard. When she thought she was safe, she then kept the pup gently wrapped and cradled it, soothing it with the best of her care. She let her calm demeanour give the scared wolf pup the time to relax and feel the embrace of the human, just like she did long ago with another canine baby.

When she cared for the infant Zwei before sending him home, she did everything she could and knew to raise him, and surely enough, the anooba grew to become a pampered pooch. Based on what she was told from her father's letters; the canine was now a welcome addition to the family.

The family Ruby could not visit…

Finally, after a few squeals, the wolf pup began to quiet down, slowly popping out his head to reveal a face of calm peace, now letting out a purring noise while it thumped its leg inside Ruby's cape. When it looked up to her, instead of feeling frightened, it then went up to her face and licked it affectionately. The Jedi smiled at the change of mood, glad that the wolf was now safe and sound. And boy, was that puppy cute or what?! She could just snuggle it to death, but all she could give was a decently tight hug to show how happy she was that it was out of its cage.

Now, she had to leave the base and find those wolves. If they were close by, then she could give them back the little baby before she could continue with the mission and find Zee, hoping he would be able to access the droid controls by then.

Carefully, she kept her watch out for any droid patrols and the General himself. She looked at the doors to see if Terk's tank was parked outside, before turning the other way towards the other end of the hangar bay. The area looked clear, giving Ruby the space she needed to run for it, while cradling the little pup within her cape. She made the run for it towards the left side of hangar doors where she last saw the wolves escape the General's tank.

With a wolf pup tucked into her cape, she couldn't use her speed to dash her way out of the bay, needing said accessory to focus her energy to produce the sharp increase in speed. So, all she could muster was a hard dash with her two feet for the exit. And she was almost about to make it out with the pup, until the unexpected happened.

Right before she knew it, Ruby felt her nerves tingle with alarm. That same storm of instinct that would always alert her of the slightest hint of trouble. That thrust of fury was all she needed to make her jump out of the way, just before the danger presented itself.

 **BWARM!**

With one burst of energy, she leapt to the side, just before a mighty explosion shattered the floor, throwing the Jedi as she held onto to the wolf pup as tightly as she could. She barely made a perfect landing on her feet, shaken by the sudden blast that soon scared the puppy into whimpering.

Ruby looked to where the shot was fired, panicked by what she saw. The tank of General Terk was already turned around, aiming its gun right at the Jedi and the wolf pup. The Kerkoiden General was still out in the open, with his plump body poking out of the hatch of the tank turret. Flanking his sides, a new force of battle droids accompanied him, aiming their blasters at Ruby.

She shielded the pup from the eventual firestorm by shifting her body to the side, making sure it was not within the line of fire. Cradling the pup on her left arm, she then summoned her weapon and ignited the blade on the other hand, bravely taking her stand against the General and his droids.

As the tank cruised dangerously closer, Ruby stared down at the General, defiant to protect this poor, unfortunate soul from the cruel Kerkoiden, noticing the cold, heartless grin on his face, wide as the length and width of his upper body. The droids kept their blasters directed at Ruby, awaiting the word from Terk to pull the trigger.

"Well, well, well. A Jedi in our base." gloated the chuckling General. He peered those dim, bloody red eyes on the head of the prized beowolf pup that the Jedi cradled in her arm, shaking in fear behind the silver blade of her lightsaber. He scoffed, showing no mercy for the innocent animal and the will to profit from its capture. "You have something that I need, Jedi. Unless you give it back to me, I shall not be merciful."

Ruby didn't waver, not giving into the demand of this scummy individual who could dare to hurt those who could not fend for themselves. She refused to let this infant be harmed by the cruel reality of being trafficked off-world and succumb to the unforeseen horrors of malicious intent. She was not going to let this Separatist commander be victorious; both in war and in criminal activity.

"Over my dead body." she declared, gripping her lightsaber as strongly as she hugged the pup in her other arm. The Kerkoiden simply laughed it off, so glad to hear this child of a Jedi signing her own death wish.

"So be it, Jedi." he growled, murder in his voice. At long last, the General was going to get his first Jedi kill; something that his own brother failed to do on Christophsis.

Ruby braced for the shots to be fired, keeping her blade in front to do all she could to defend the pup and beat the General down. Six droids against one Jedi was not going to stop her here; she was going to make her stand and win, no matter the odds. And if this was a good day to die, then it would be for the freedom of this young wolf. She could escape and flee, but she wouldn't run away once the deed was done. The Kerkoiden readied his hand to send the signal for his droids and fire upon the Jedi and end her life.

"Kill her!"

 **HOOWWWWLLLL!**

The execution was stopped at the last moment, upon hearing the sounds of echoing howls from outside the bay. Alerted by the noise, everyone turned around to look where they heard the calls of the wild came from. When Terk faced the door, she saw the dreadful return of a pack of wolves, who came running back in, halfway before any of his droids could react.

Ruby recognized the three wolves, a surge of relief raced through her as she saw them charge forward and jumped into the action. One of the wolves attacked first, striking a droid with its jaws before swinging it violently and knocking out two more droids in the process. The second wolf moved to pounce on the other droids on the left before ripping them apart with its bare teeth. The final droid was left to shoot its weapon, only for it to be bitten off by the final wolf, this time, the wolf who Ruby healed in the first place.

When the third wolf was done biting off its prey, it then looked at its mates and nodded, signaling for them to finish up with the last target of the hunt. They gazed at the only one left alive in this affair, glaring their killer eyes onto the General, who was now shivering in fear. Without any remorse, they charged, tackling the Kerkoiden before he could leave his tank.

In the meantime, Ruby felt her cape ruffle up, tipping backwards when the pup immediately ran out towards the leader of the wolf pack. Upon meeting, the two nuzzled each other's noses with pure affection, followed by the adult licking the pup and the happy little barks of the pup.

Ruby's smile widened, seeing the reunion between mother and child. However, when she looked at the tank, she saw the other two wolves, biting hard onto the armoured tunic he wore, both from the collar and the sleeve. His alarmed cries sounded off, giving Ruby the sudden need to stop them.

"Okay! Okay!" she shouted to the lead wolf. "You can stop them now." She decided to be merciful to this cowardly fool, knowing that allowing him to be mauled to death would just not be the noble way to go about her mission.

Finally, after a firm stare from the leader, the other two wolves agreed to let go, dropping the General down from his tank and crashing him onto the metal floor. Encumbered by fright and slight pain from both the bites and the fall, the Kerkoiden continued to tremble, crawling away from the wild pack of wolves to alert the entire base. As such, he grabbed his holo-device to contact the droid commander in charge of the complex, ordering his soldiers to come and reinforce him against his plight.

However, when he pressed on the button, nothing came; no hologram and no voice. Completely offline. The General impatiently shook his projector with fury and desperation, hitting it repeatedly on the floor, but nothing came about.

Eventually, the helpless General was out of options. Standing behind him, Ruby stood victoriously, aiming her blade onto his back with the other hand placed firmly on her hip. Her grin, bright and wide, displayed her satisfaction of a thwarted general, defeated by the forces of nature.

"And what'cha going to about this, General?" she gloated, mimicking Terk's arrogant bickering much earlier. As he trembled, he began to look outside the hangar bay to an almost humiliating scene. Soon after his fall, the sounds of gunfire rang throughout, followed by the booming trails of hovercraft flying overhead. Ruby saw this too, relieved to see the Separatist fighters being demolished one by one, with the eventual landing of Republic gunships, touching down to deploy troops into battle.

Zee had done his job, shutting down the droid communications and allowing the Republic to march right in. His mission and Ruby's admittedly unintentional stalling of General Terk had sabotaged the droid army, and the Republic was able to swoop right in for the taking.

Realizing that she had done her job, Ruby then grabbed the General by the tunic and pushed him off, just in time for a trio of clone troopers to run right in.

"General Rose!" one of the troopers called. "Are you alright?"

"A little roughed up, but I'm fine, soldier." she happily replied before smiling wickedly at the Kerkoiden, who had now become a Republic prisoner. An embarrassing downfall for a General who wanted to be more than his own brother… "Now take this slimeball to his cell." She turned him in, letting the clones escort him off to custody.

After watching the General being led away, she then turned around to see that the wolves were still standing, almost panicked by the arrival of the clones. With a reassuring smile, Ruby bent down and told them everything was going to be alright.

"Don't worry, guys." she laughed. "These men won't hurt you. You can now leave peacefully." Her passionate tone was hard felt by the wolves, as they all came up to her. They didn't do anything, just silently stare into Ruby's eyes with the same yellowy glow. Afterwards, the two wolves soon left the scene, leaving the mother wolf to bid Ruby farewell. She nuzzled onto the human's chest, thanking her for finally ending the torment of being separated from her child. Then, the pup came along and licked her in the face, tickling Ruby into a small fit of giggles. Finally, after thanking Ruby for her help, the two wolves soon ran off, with Ruby watching on with joy at the freedom she had given them.

Ruby had once again saved the lives of the innocent. She didn't just feel the hero's valour of saving the wolves, but also the justice she had committed to by allowing Zee to hinder the droid army and stalling Terk from the incoming Separatist assault.

Today, she felt like she was becoming a greater Jedi than ever before!

* * *

 _An hour later_

Soon, Ruby finished up the day by leading the clones into the base, clearing up what was left of the droid forces in the airfield. Afterwards, she found Zee in the base and together, left the building and out into the airfield.

Walking onto the wide-open space, she took in the sights of burning wreckages of droids and vulture starfighters, decimated by strafing runs and eventual assaults by the ground forces. Clone troopers moved around and about, patrolling the area and helping out with the clean-up for the airbase to be used for their own advantages in the battles to come next.

But the very thing that got her attention the most came in front of him. The gunship that landed in front of her, doors sliding open to reveal the Master himself, stepping down before the clones and walking towards his former Padawan.

"I'm not going to even ask." he sighed, shaking his head in the usual disgruntled Master kind of way. "Somehow, I had the feeling the whole assault going well was your doing." Ruby responded with her usual cocky smile, proudly boasting of her win.

"Made you proud yet?" she giggled. Kenta ruffled with her hair, instantly shifting her mood to irritation.

"Don't push it." Soon, the two and Zee walked towards the hangar bay to oversee the clean-up of the base to Republic control. "Still, you could have told me you found a way in, though I could have been occupied by the battle to even try. How did you find that entry point anyway?"

Ruby thought back about the wolves who she helped, and thus helped her in return. These creatures weren't as vicious and aggressive as she was taught to believe. She felt a sense of purpose; a will, almost. She could feel the intent on bringing her to the enemy base and help win the battle, to guide her of their own needs to rescue the wolf pup. She felt there was a burning spark of courage when they came to help her defeat the enemy General, and a gratitude over her saving their child.

"I did what you and the Council always told me; trust in the Force." she answered, without giving too much away. She always thought her Master was a little too practical to believe in such odd encounters, even if he was a member of the Order. Perhaps she could speak to Master Yoda about this wild encounter with the animals. Could there be a link between them, powered by the Force?

And so, with the day over, Ruby would finally focus on the war again, dedicated to preventing the Separatists from bringing more lives to chaos and suffering, no matter what they species they are.

It was her duty as a Jedi to preserve the lives of all living beings bound together by the Force…


	22. Master's Flight

**A/N~ One of the personal additions I've added to the story was the character, Kenta Barak, Ruby's Jedi Master. He plays an important part in her life, but so far, he's always been regulated as a side character thus far. So, I feel that he needs a chapter that will focus on him, to give him the limelight. Thus, this chapter will be about him as a Jedi in the Clone Wars, plus a few flashbacks to build up on his experiences.**

 **Also, I want to thank everyone for helping this story reach the 100** **th** **follower point! I didn't think this story would go that far this soon, but we did it! Thanks to you all for making it possible and I hope I'll continue on forth to the very end!**

 **Reviews:**

 **Guest**

 **Too soon to tell what Salem would do in this story XD**

 **Yes, definitely! But I wanna focus the next few chapters on the primary characters before moving onto the antagonists, just like Volume 2 did.**

 **At some point in the story, yes, but again, I want everyone to go on their own adventures and develop upon their eventual meetings**

 **CT7567Rules**

 **Velvet does need more action, but as for Waxer and Hardcase, I would not really delve into those issues yet. No promises.**

 **ranjira1988**

 **Hahaha! That's true XD To tell you the truth, I didn't realize the connections to the fairy tale at all, but that was one good eye for detail, man :D**

 **TaitanoRules555**

 **You might get something like that in this chapter (y)**

 **And as always, thanks to AGreasySausage, StarWarsLover1998, abbydobbie, MedievalLord666, Mkpd51kw, GhostOperative17, Cnainide, YawningSheep, Casu4lDucK and Grayfire54 for the votes!**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: Master's Flight**

 **You do not need to experience war to fight one; anything can become a lesson to prepare for conflict…**

 _Clones under siege!_

 _The Republic forces on the planet Marthon continue to push against the enemy forces in the planet. But as the war rages on, the Separatist Alliance calls upon reinforcements, sending a large fleet to trap the Republic's own._

 _With no other way out of the planet, they plan a counterattack to prevent the droids from prevailing. Jedi Master Kenta Barak must lead a squadron of fighters to diminish the enemy fleet's power and hold upon the planet's orbit._

* * *

Republic Outpost Olympia,

Marthon,

Azermoth System,

Outer Rim Territories,

It took the Republic forces on Marthon about three days to conquer the major airbase that allowed the Separatists total control over the skies. The base had since been converted to serve as a landing site for Republic bombing missions surrounding the capital city. The ground battle might have had seen some progress in favour of the clone armies.

Now, there was a new problem up… in orbit.

Ruby Rose, fresh after a good amount of rest from her previous adventure to sabotage the Separatist air power, was in the control room where her faithful droid was able to do the deed that shut down communications between the droid forces. Where there were once droids manning their stations with automated processed, now it was being taken over by more sentient clones who adapted well to the building's inner systems.

She was pacing around the holographic table, triggered by a state of impatience. It has been three days of patrolling around the base and meditating on her senses. Unfortunately, the former was not as thrilling than the last time, nor the latter was any bit soothing for her rather, as Kenta would call it, 'impulsive' nature.

Eager as always to see action, the only thing she could find entertaining was the waving three-dimensional images flickering about on the table, simulating the battle at a nearby village, with the tiny doll-like holograms of soldiers clashing against each other, with the clone troopers being accompanied by AT-TE walkers, bringing in the rear and charging against the battle droids all around the buildings.

Far from the real battle that was waging, Ruby's anxiety for action was sinking in dangerously deep, craving for excitement with each tap of her feet onto the floor as she stepped around. She really wished she could join her soldiers out there, instead of staying here as Kenta told her to, feeling that it was her duty to make things easier for the clone armies to defeat the droids in a measly village.

Thankfully, she could always make sure the villagers from the settlement could rest comfortably in the base, though she did question the decision to shelter them here when it was already the target of two bombings. Unfortunately, she heard that the Republic had to compensate for a number of factors; one, the overcrowding of the other bases behind the airfield; second, the lack of useable space to set up camps that could withstand a full ambush by the local Marthonian militia; and finally, the amount of time and transportation to pick up all the refugees they could back to further bases would risk their life expectancy to dwindle. Thus, Ruby supposed this would have to do; at least the field was heavily protected, but she didn't like the idea that they were all crammed into the lower hangar bays, right beside the gunships and walkers with clone troopers marching all over the place.

She went back to the holographic table, watching the projections of the clone army storming right into the village, continuing to feed her frustration to join the fight sooner. She could be out there saving countless more lives, and yet she was here, stuck to listen to Commander Kaiser's every words.

Speaking of whom, the helmetless clone was also in the room, only a lot more patient and eager to supervise the battles from the command room. Ruby could see the commander's left shoulder, still scorched by a single blaster shot. Perhaps that was why he was forced to remain at base until he recovered. Ruby thought just as much about his tolerance to doing almost nothing exciting; he was, as Duo always put it, one of those 'perfect' specimens. He wasn't one to enjoy the thrill of battle nor fear it. He was just fine staying back anyway, so as long as you gave him the order. But she also noticed something that wouldn't come off from a 'perfect' clone; mainly his tendency to ensure that the orders they gave him had a good reason to be given. He always made sure that they would be beneficial by theory before deciding to follow through, approaching the objectives with practicality and foresight. At least it was something that she could communicate him with, even if her own attempts at giving him orders were met with 'unreasonable' results.

"Sir." Ruby was alerted by the call of one of the clone officers in the room. Hurriedly, she ran towards the table to see what was happening in the field, eyeing another occurrence at the other side of the Republic forces in the town. "Enemy droid forces, converging on Exorma Town."

"It's a counter-offensive. They have our men entrapped." stated Kaiser. Alarmed by the circumstances, Ruby was poised to alert the one person who had the authority and, to her envy, the freedom to help them out.

"I'll go get Kenta!" She volunteered to call upon the aid of her old Master to come help the troopers in their assault on the town.

"That's not necessary, General." Kaiser stopped her, explaining to her of why it wasn't a feasible idea at the moment. "General Barak is currently up in orbit, dealing with that Sep' fleet."

"Don't worry, Kaiser. Kenta can make it." Ruby assured. "A great swordsman, an awesome pilot and the master of KAPOW!" She cheered with the chop of her hand down onto the ground, only earning making things a little more awkward between her and the clones.

"Right…" Kaiser muttered.

"Anyway, he'll make the time. He's as flexible as they come." said Ruby as she was reminded of all the virtues and achievements Kenta was always known for. If there was anyone as resourceful or capable of fighting through hordes of droids and make it back before all is lost, it would have to be the Jedi Master who was always there to raise her from the beginning.

* * *

Orbit of Marthon,

Azermoth System,

Outer Rim Territories,

One destroyer down…

That was not the words Kenta Barak wanted to hear. Sitting inside his starfighter, listening into the final words of the lost crew before it transcended into static, leaving only an officer from another destroyer to give him the bad news.

Kenta kept his hands tight onto the yoke of the stick, calmly letting his concentration flow through him as he traversed through the hailstorm of turbolaser and droid fire coming from all sides. He had put himself in the middle of a hectic battle with three, initially five, Venator destroyers against seven Separatist IGB frigates and two Providence-class destroyers; the bulk of a single Separatist attack fleet in one given time. That meant fighting against hundreds of droid starfighters, making up more than three-thirds than that of the entirety of the clone fighters at his command.

He veered his fighter right, dodging an incoming group of vulture droids zooming past him. Then, he went the other way, spinning around another few fighters. By the time he finished, he was suddenly shaken by an explosion to his side, realizing that another V-19 starfighter that was part of his personal squadron had been taken out. With the fireball that was once the fighter he lost raging for him, he managed to swerve out of the way and fly on, followed by the rest of his squadron.

The clones that were assigned under his direct command called themselves Blitz Squadron, another recommendation by Ruby to motivate them. Indeed, they more than lived up to their name, serving as one of the fastest squadrons of the clone air forces that had already followed Kenta's orders and flew by him from as long as the war began. Kenta's first thoughts on the squadron certainly impressed him and, to his admission, he had felt some loss from losing the many members of the team in previous battles.

However, no matter how much he lost, Kenta remained stern and positioned, not letting their deaths affect his performance and the current state of the squadron.

Even with the odds stacked against him, Kenta was still not wavered by the enemy's relentless firepower. As Ruby would boast to others, he had already flown countless flight missions even long before he had taken her under his wing, flying various ships used by the Order. If he wasn't so hesitant to choose, Ruby's best guess for his favourite fighter would have to be the forest green Delta-7 that took up most of his flying records; the very fighter he was flying now in this bloody war.

 **BRAM!**

A hit on the side, scratching off a piece of the hull of his starfighter. Kenta looked behind him to see a lone vulture fighter swooping right for him. Even then, he was not thrown off by the attack, instinctively moving to intercept. All the while, the astromech droid that was tucked into the fighter, began to fix the damages done.

Just like his initial response to accepting ZW-23 into Ruby's care, Kenta did not really have the time to be motivating his droid to do its job, already sure that it would do it without question. Again, his loyalty to the Jedi Code would encourage him to avoid forming connections to non-sentient things, even if he had noticed some quirks from his former Padawan's droid. The one he had now was just going to remain to do its part, regardless of how it may or may not feel…

Once the droid had flown straight for him, Kenta found the opportunity and pulled back the stick with all his power. The fighter pulled up into a loop, flying right over the droid fighter before coming right behind it. Seizing the moment, he fired the cannons, letting loose a barrage of blue energy shots that soon made short work on the vulture. The fighter exploded into pieces, rolling out of control into the emptiness of space before blowing up completely.

Then, after taking out the vulture droid, he heard through his communicator, listening to the panicked cry of his squadron leader.

"This is Blitz Leader! I'm taking fire!" Kenta reached out to the Force, sensing for the distress of his squadmate calling out to his squadron. Immediately, he found the lone V-19, being chased by three vultures. The Jedi Master shifted the controls to change his course, spinning down to pursue and destroy the fighters.

The droids continued to fire upon the damaged clone fighter, which had already taken a blow to the right wing, with a trail of smoke following behind. Multiple bolts of red energy continued to suppress him, forcing him to stay straight and vulnerable to a direct hit and certain death. As the pilot looked behind, he could see the vultures closing in for the kill, until…

They were all shot, one by one, from out of nowhere, by a volley of blue bolts. Then, with the greatest of hopeful saves, came the spinning image of a Delta-7 starfighter, instantly recognized as that of General Barak's.

"You're all clear, Blitz Leader." assured the Jedi Master through the speaker.

"Thanks, General!" thanked the squad leader, sighing while heavily breathing. "Thought I was a goner there."

"Keep a tight formation, Blitz Squadron." ordered Kenta again. The clone fighters soon regrouped together, with the Jedi pilot seeing all of his fighters gathering up behind him in a clustered formation. Satisfied with the order followed, he then looked to the front, seeing more droid fighters heading his way.

Seeing these enemy fighters coming en masse, Kenta felt a sudden jolt of energy keeping him riled up somehow. The moments of flying in his fighter had made him very tensed up, and that would soon lead to a tinge of joy in his flight. It was a common habit of his; feeling the freedom of flying. Perhaps one of the things that he had rubbed on from his old friends of his past, and made a little worse with Ruby by his side.

After feeling the excitement in his body, he sighed, taking a deep breath to calm himself, keeping these unwanted feelings of thrill from clouding his mind. Time and time again, these tempting pulses in his body always distracted him in his youth, when he was still grasping to focus on becoming a Jedi Knight, at an age when he was already a flying prodigy among the Jedi in Coruscant. Now, he was a Master, already attuned to suppressing his old immaturity in place for a more concentrated and more strong-minded form.

Once the droids came, Kenta was ready; greeted by the storm of cannon fire from both the vultures and the Separatist frigates off in the distance. His squadron tailed behind, dispersing just a little away from him to keep that tight formation in check. They fired their weapons back to counter the droids, blazing through the enemy in a concentrated circle of precise firing. Countless fireballs fly as the squadron stormed through the enemy with the edge of mighty spear, piercing through the thick hide of a rancor.

Amidst the firestorm, the squadron kept their course towards one of the Separatist frigates, just enough to escort a squadron of Y-Wing bombers to drop its payload. The outmatched Republic forces were braving the odds, guided by a Jedi Master to lead them to their target.

The flight took its toll on both sides, with five droid fighters taken out in the first few seconds since the formation was formed, but at the cost of two clone fighters from the other squadrons. Blitz Squadron put their renowned skills to the test, avoiding the bolts while maintaining their positions behind Kenta's fighter.

Within a minute of flying, the squadron was able to get close enough to disperse around the first frigate they could attack. The next phase of the attack followed, having the fighters go all around the frigate and distract the turrets' attention away from the bombers. Blitz Squadron flew runs at the side turrets, while the bombers targeted the top of the frigate, launching their proton bombs onto the vulnerable hull within the hollow shell. Kenta's starfighter strafed to the right, shredding a gun turret until it blew up, just as the larger explosions sounded off from above the frigate, while the rest of his squadron finished up with the rest of the turrets.

Once the run was over, the squadron flew off from its mark, returning to escort the bombers after they finished their bombing mission to move onto the next frigate. Kenta looked to that next target on the right, with the entire flight force leaving off the rear of the previous ship, which was now separating into many pieces from the bombardment.

As they turned to attack the next frigate, Kenta's droid beeped in alarm, warning him of another squadron of vulture droids swarming in from behind them. Five of them, it told the Jedi, having their targeting computers locked specifically onto his fighter. At once, the squadron dispersed, leaving Kenta to fend for himself, flying towards the frigate in an attempt to shake off his pursuers.

Kenta felt the same excitement coursing through his veins again, intensified by the five droids chasing him from behind. The overwhelming odds fuelled his unwanted anxiety, but the Master continued to maintain his stature, piloting his craft calmly towards the side of the frigate, flying towards its right plank-shaped fin.

Just as he was about to fly within the claw-shaped shell halves of the ship's armour, he felt a violent shake with a loud metallic clap that rocked his ship to the right. With the blinking red light appearing on the control panel, he turned his head to see what had happened, spotting the alarming sight of a trail of fire blazing on his right.

"General! You're hit!" yelled Blitz Leader. Almost unfortunate that he was hit on the right; somewhere where his astromech could not reach. The Delta-7 was not known to be very durable amidst a large-scale firefight; at any moment, one more shot could easily take him out within the blink of an eye. He refused to let the fear of death even be in his mind, letting the Force guide him to the right direction.

After tuning into the greater power, he let himself go and passively allowed it to direct him to the safest way through the droid fire. As the Force coursed through him, Kenta could feel the astral waves flow through the frigate, showing him the smooth course that could help him shake off the fighters. Ignoring the threat of the plasma fire, he followed what the Force 'told' him to go to. He rolled his fighter right above the frigate's wing, before making a sharp turn up towards the ship's upper hull. Then, still going, he veered all the way to the frontal section where the command bridge stuck up from the inner body.

After making such a hazardous run through the Munificent-class frigate, the Delta-7 flew off into space, Kenta could hear the explosions happening at the droid ship, seeing that three of the vultures were knocked out of the game. That left two vultures still on his tail.

To deal with them, Kenta relied on the power of the Force again, believing it should guide him to do what he aspired to do in this situation. He moved to lower power to his fighter, leaving it to suddenly become adrift, light enough to roll back freely. The fighter then stalled, staying in place just as the droid fighters opened fire.

The astromech droid bleeped like it was in a panic, but Kenta never paid attention to it, more locked into the manoeuvre just as his fighter slopped right for the two vultures. He still let himself be free of the control of his body and slip in between the droids. He felt the droid fighters zoom right past his ship, almost as if his own body was out there being thrown in the middle, feeling the breeze-like motion brush past his shoulders.

Once the fighters were will in front of him, Kenta reopened his eyes, pushing his thumbs down on the buttons on the stick to unleash a full set of bolts to finish off the droids. The blue plasma beams quickly made short work of the vultures, making them explode into many pieces. Kenta then regained control of his fighter, reactivating the engines to full power and zoomed past the floating debris.

After his successful counter, Kenta resumed his strike on the Separatist ships, with his squadron close behind. He evaluated whether they sustained any losses; all of them were still intact, which continued to prove how effective the pilots were in battle.

"Are you alright, General?!" called Blitz Leader, referring to the battle damage on Kenta's fighter, sustained from the earlier excursion.

"Still kicking in, Blitz Leader." reassured Kenta. "Keep the momentum up, Blitz Squadron."

"Copy that, General." The offensive continued to linger on, with the same combat pattern repeated on the next few frigates, with a few minor changes based on the trajectory of the squadron in between passes. After some flybys, the following bombers soon left their marks, already dealing enough damage to cripple, but not destroy the ships entirely.

By then, the bombers had taken significant losses, to the point where there weren't enough to resume the counterattack. Kenta and the other fighter squadrons were forced to remain in the frenzy of dogfighting to distract the vultures from pursuing the weakened Y-Wings.

When Kenta was just about to get into the fight, his droid called upon him again. This time, it informed him of an incoming transmission, sent from the base down below. He reached for the comlink on the panel, pressing the button to answer the call. In front of him, the three-dimensional hologram of his old Padawan was projected.

Kenta could feel the alarm in Ruby's form, if the furrowed eyes and troubled facial expressions weren't so obvious enough.

"Kenta!" she cried out. "Some of our men are taking a beating near Exorma Town. They need your help."

"Kind of a bit busy out here, Rubes." said Kenta, while he was avoiding a stray missile from hitting him before taking out a couple more droid fighters.

"It's a primary location for our cannons. We have to stop the droids from advancing." Ruby pointed out with compassionate concern. "They got to set up there, or we'll lose our chance of taking out the droid bases in that area." But then, Kenta would spot the next change of expression in Ruby; one that was all too easy not to predict.

"And since you're so willing to keep me here, then I don't think I should be going anywhere. Unless…" That rebellious side of Ruby came out so naturally, always willing to tell him that she would probably get the job done on her own, triggering that protective response from him. It almost felt like she wanted to coax him into helping…

"Alright. I'll see what I can do." he sighed.

"Ahhh, monkey-lizards…" Ruby stomped her foot, frustrated. Kenta knew as much that she was trying to toy with his dutiful mind. Nope, not happening this time.

But, of course, he did accept that Ruby did have some sense in calling for his help. The ground battle was just as important as the one in orbit; any losses sustained would affect the entire offensive, and on such a crucial location to set up artillery, it would make it all the more vital to keep it occupied before the army regained its momentum.

"Just stay where you are, Ruby. And I **mean** it." With one very direct command to Ruby, Kenta switched off the call, right before seeing Ruby sticking her tongue out to him. He couldn't help but shake his head, ever so wondering for the time that she'd stop being such a child. Faced with the added weight of the battle below, the Jedi Master contacted Blitz Leader, filling him in on the change of plans.

He knew he had to leave the clone pilots to continue the mission, but somewhere deep inside him, there was the sense of duty that wanted him to remain and help the squadron. However, he had to suppress it, for there were other lives down on the surface who needed him too.

"Blitz Leader. I'm going to go down to the surface to help the ground forces out. You think you can hold the droids out while I'm gone?" called Kenta.

"Roger that, General. We'll hold those clankers out here." Blitz Leader gave him the green light, with his voice still burning with confidence. After being informed of their determination to carry on without him, Kenta nodded, turned his starfighter away from the fight and speared towards the swampy orb that was Marthon.

Kenta had to admit; even if they were born to take orders, these clones had that fiery personality that kept him optimistic in the face of battle. Maybe Ruby was right, after all. So, could she right about droids and their connections to their owners? Maybe so, but Kenta had no time to dwell into that; he had a war to fight, an Order to serve, and a Code to honour.

No attachments to blind him or those around him… Not anymore…

* * *

Exorma Town,

Marthon,

Azermoth System,

Outer Rim Territories,

"AAARGH!"

The counteroffensive had already begun. The town of Exorma was under siege from a battalion of battle droids, followed behind by lines of AAT tanks that constantly bombarded the town with their cannons. Clones were being blasted at, thrown about and perishing by the hands of the mechanical menace that was about to encircle the town. With a front line of defence shattered by the incoming armies, the clones were forced to make numerous retreats, carrying their fallen brothers back further into the town, almost to the point where the buildings laid right into the line of fire.

Republic strategists think that after the surrender of General Terk Loathsom, the droid armies would be left weakened without a single commander to lead them. But droids could be so easily programmed by others who would take over for the General, no matter how below they were than him. And that transfer of command was given to the leader of the local militia, who then ordered what was left of the Separatist army under Loathsom to resume his campaign against the government and the Republic.

As such, the war in Marthon went on, with the Republic having more of a reason to fight on and help restore peace to the planet.

The clones kept falling back into the town, holding up yet another already shaken up defence. They fired their weapons with all their might, but without proper anti-armour support, the droid tanks were already making short work of them. Heavy fire shook up the soldiers even more, making it all the harder to hold up without a proper leader. Their commander was killed in the battle, leaving the troops unorganized and desperate for orders. But they still had their loyalty to the Republic, the driven resolve to fight and die to protect it, that kept them together for a last stand, eager to battle on without end.

Then, just when all seemed hopeless, the clones spotted something in the sky. A small darting dot in the sky, zooming right down for the ground. They waited for the object to shape before they finally recognized it to be the saving grace they so desired.

"Look! It's the General!" Out of the blue, the sheer presence of a green Delta-7 starfighter brought with it a powerful boost of hope and relief for the troops, watching it swoop up and launch its barrage of firepower against the droid lines, storming through the infantry and taking out the tanks behind them. One pass after another, the fighter shot them down, destroying as much as he could along the way.

With the sudden re-emergence of a Jedi Master, let alone a General in their ranks, the clones began to cheer, raising their weapons in the air to cry out their joy. They were beginning to think that, finally, they could turn the tide in this otherwise losing battle. Carrying their rifles and the spirit of brotherhood with them, they rallied to the defence of the town, running back forward while Kenta finished off the last of the tanks, giving the clone troopers a better chance to take on the droids to put an end to the hour-long offensive.

Once the storm was over, the clones finally had time recuperate their losses. By that time, Kenta had already landed his fighter after a long day of fighting in space and on the ground. He looked around him to see the aftermath of the Republic's takeover of the town. There, he evaluated the facts from the battle.

Based on accounts from a few soldiers, from the first assault, the clones had lost all of their walkers, left burning husks from behind. The troopers left to take the town were also heavily battered by the droid army's initial defence, a small wound that only grew worse when they were forced to withstand a much larger counteroffensive in the next hour.

Now, the clone forces had been greatly diminished, with only a pinch of the initial assault force against the droids. He felt that he was needed, after all, Ruby knew just as much when she convinced him to come help. He saw how rocked the troops were after the narrow victory against the wave of droids and that he was sure that more were on the way. It was only a matter of time before that next attack would happen.

The Jedi Master walked up to a lone clone trooper, noticing the small olive-green markings on his white armour, recognized as a sergeant. The clone was giving out orders to another pair of troopers, having to carry the wounded back to a nearby medical tent.

"General." the sergeant, recognizing Kenta, greeted while he stood at attention. "Glad you could make it, sir."

"Are you hurt, trooper?" asked Kenta. The sergeant rubbed the side of his shoulder, where the Jedi noticed a deep burn mark on the armoured pad.

"Just a scratch, sir." stated the clone sergeant, rubbing the hit shoulder. "We'll have the men back up and running before the next move."

"How many did we lose?" added Kenta.

"Too many. I'm afraid there won't be enough for a counter offensive, sir. We'll need a miracle to survive the next wave." Kenta nodded, agreeing with the lack of proper firepower to repulse another Separatist invasion. If he needed to turn the tide even further, he would need to play a new policy; instead of playing it strong, he would have to play it smart.

He studied the town around him, seeing what kind of advantage he would have to use against the incoming droids. After taking in the scene, he then looked at the decimated trenches down below the hill, going through the smoke-filled ditches, adding to his tactical surveillance of the field. Just then, however, his study was interrupted when a clone trooper ran towards him, warning him of a new disaster waiting to happen.

"Sir, the droids are coming back!" alerted the trooper. Kenta felt the urgency building up inside of him, continuing to dig into the possible ways he could counter another droid attack without losing more men. He looked back into the town behind him and wondered if he could use the scorched buildings to his advantage.

As it turned out, after what little strategizing he made, he finally came made up his mind. There was something that could be done to help give the ground forces a chance to repel the droids.

For a Jedi who had never experienced war at this scale before, he needed to rely on memories of past, smaller missions that could be used to effect in this unfamiliar field of combat. At that point, Kenta had something he could work with.

"I might have an idea."

* * *

 _Five years earlier_

Fresia,

Fre'ji System,

Core Worlds,

No matter how devoted he was to the Jedi Order, Kenta would occasionally find the little moments of peace to be rather refreshing.

It was during this moment, on the aquatic planet Fresia, that he decided to take a brief moment to bask in the cool breeze of the high tide that washed the beaches with mildly strong waves, brushing in and out and nearly flooding and separating the sandy patches of beach into tiny islands. The wind continued to breeze through everything in its path, adding up to the strength of the waves as one would crash into the cliff below Kenta, and splashing water onto his face.

Kenta let himself be relaxed in a trance of self-preservation, letting himself become more associated with the Force around him. It all felt like a very calm, serene moment for a Jedi who would be very strict with his duties.

If only the galaxy would be just as lovely to be in…

He reached out to the Force, wondering if she would be proud of what he was able to achieve thus far. If she would continue to watch over him and a certain other person in his life… If she would see how much her daughter had grown since taking her under his wing. If…

"Hey, Master!" Kenta nearly jumped, snapped out of his trance by a loud cry. That Ruby… Ten years old, still as loud as ever. "I found something. You better come look!" This time, however, she had a good reason to call him, since she was given a task to fulfil, one she would call him for should she see the need to.

Looking out at the sea one last time, Kenta turned around to join his Padawan the nearby sand dune. Ruby was standing above the small hill with her eyes glued to a pair of electro-binoculars, scanning over the horizon. The braid behind her head blew violently with the wind, with all the strands clipped together by its grip, pulling at that one spot. Her traditional Jedi robes fluttered along; something that Ruby did find very comfortable and useful in the cool breezes of the high tide. She did, however, express the desire to change into something more striking; something like, maybe, a hood and cape.

For now, she was standing by, watching over a single sight that caught her attention before calling Kenta over to share the view.

"Look. There's some bodies over there." She gave the binoculars to her Master, allowing him to take a look himself. From his viewpoint, he could see a rather predictable sight for him; a pile of bodies, recognized as local security guards from the looks of their uniforms, spread in a makeshift valley of sand. Clearly, the work of the pirates they were sent to handle while conducting their mission.

A missing director who worked for the Incom Corporation caught the attention of the Republic, prompting the Senate to seek the aid of the Jedi Order, yet again, to solve the case. With Kenta and Ruby's numerous experiences dealing with the criminal underworld, they seemed like one of the few natural choices to be selected for the job. Suppose they could send Master Vos or Master Sinube to go, but the former was still on a case that he started working on since Tatooine, and Master Sinube was simply not fit enough to venture out into such dangerous territory (at least, according to the Council, much to Ruby and Master Sinube's shared amusement). Anything that could happen to the director would spell trouble for the Republic as a number of new fighter designs were under way for the rather small army that made up most of its military might at the time.

Any sign of chaos and struggle was a sure clue of the pirates' whereabouts. The local government of Fresia already assumed just as much that the disappearance of Incom's director was the handiwork of the native pirate bands that plagued Fresia's seas for months before Kenta and Ruby's arrival.

"Looks like we found our first clue." stated Kenta, handing back the binoculars to his Padawan. "Come on, Ruby. Let's go check it out." Without question, Ruby followed behind as Kenta moved out, ready to pursue what or who might lie in wait for anyone who would come to investigate the scene.

By the time they arrived, the two were forced to witness the brutal outcome of the killings. Seven bodies, all Fresian guards, laid lifeless, scattered all over like dolls in a little girl's room. When Kenta saw the extent of their wounds, he was almost disgusted. Bruises and cuts were large enough to be seen; all over their bloodied skins in such violent fashion that it immediately told Kenta that these men had been taken prisoner and were mercilessly slaughtered by the pirates. A truly tragic occurrence to behold.

"I don't like the looks of this." Ruby held a hand to her chest, just as sickened by the scene of violent death. It's not the first time she had seen such crude death, but it was certainly one of the vilest ones. She was then pushed to find out what had happened to these poor men, slain by a cruel force of pirates who dared to take lives just to send a message of discontent. "I'm going to go check it out." Furious, she walked towards the bodies, eager to investigate. Kenta, being the Master that he was, tried to keep his Padawan in her place, hoping to ensure that she did not give in to her anger.

"Ruby. Hang on. Keep an eye out for…"

 **BWUIMM!**

And then, within a split second, they were rocked by a single shot that darted towards them. The stray bolt struck the ground near Ruby's feet, startling the Padawan as she ran back to her Master's side.

"Ambush!" Kenta and Ruby immediately ignited their sabers, green and silver blades blazed brightly within the grim setting of the sun. Before long, they were met with another sniper shot. This time, Kenta deflected the bolt. The shot was so strong that it nearly knocked the saber away from his hands, just throwing him to the side.

A third shot was fired, from the left, Ruby blocking the hit as she swung her saber-scythe with greater velocity, and thus, could not kick her off balance. Then, another few shots zoomed for her, being deflected with her wild spins that went to the hills surrounding them.

The only trouble was; the snipers could not be seen. They could not see anyone above the hills, not once catching the glint of a sniper scope, or the hint of the snipers themselves. And yet, they could feel their presence amidst the weapon fire. They had to have a sure spot to where they could see the Jedi.

If they were not over the hills, if they were not within plain sight… Then, they had to be under?

"Ruby!" Kenta exclaimed as he blocked a sniper blast. "Keep your guard up!"

"Copy!" Ruby acknowledged, swinging her weapon for the kyber-powered blade to deflect the shots, while her metal sickled blade absorbed the damage. She made herself a shield while Kenta sensed out for the unexplained. He carefully reached out to find the attackers, wherever they were. He carefully observed where each shot came for him and his Padawan, following the trail of each shot. Slowly after putting up a solid defence, he kept scanning for the source of the fired blasts.

Then, after some insight, he spotted the hint. The shots were oddly coming out from **within** the hills. Just how those snipers were able to mask themselves in these completely sand-filled hills, Kenta was ready to explore on.

"Ruby! On my mark, we'll push out the sand on the hills." he called out to Ruby, still stormed by plasma bolts.

"Right!" Ruby didn't really know what Kenta could be suggesting at this time, but if it meant using the Force to solve their problem, then it had to be followed to get them out of it.

The two Jedi positioned themselves beside each other, getting closer to the snipers as possible. They kept blocking their attacks as they inched nearer and nearer to the source of each shot fired. Finally, after reaching the point where they were right in between both hills, surrounded by the two sources, they were ready to end their assault.

"Now!" With one powerful thrust of their palms on both hillsides, they fired an invisible force of power that blew away the sand from the hills to expose the secret hiding places of the snipers. Surely enough, the snipers were hidden in a hastily built set of nests, covered by sticky nets that held all that sand together, with roofs on top to prevent them from being buried underneath. Within the nests, two pirates, a Weequay and a human, were prone to the ground, armed with sniper rifles and were blown off by the sudden rush of power.

The attackers exposed, the Jedi were now ready to subdue them and bring them in for whatever wrong-doing they had committed.

After managing to outsmart their ambushers, Ruby and Kenta were able to disarm their enemies, capturing them and sent them to the local authorities to finally get to the bottom of the case of the missing director, which the two would eventually help bring down.

Kenta's brief encounter with the snipers was pretty much the same as most of his and Ruby's encounters with criminal forces, but the experience left a small sense of impression for the Jedi Master. He had to credit the ingenuity of the snipers for masking their locations with nothing more than super sticky substances and a carefully built nest to catch and his Padawan off guard. No matter how cruel they were to the people of Fresia, he had learnt a new technique that could be of use one day.

That much would be true in the years to come…

* * *

 _Present_

And so, Kenta used his past experience of his mission in Fresia, five years ago, added with his current predicament, to set up a similar trap for the droids.

Before the droids came, he ordered the clones to start gathering destroyed droids from the trenches, setting them up at the very front of the town. What that would accomplish would be to prompt the incoming droids' programming to assume that the clones had set up an ambush within the town; that the wrecked droids would be a sign of that ambush. That way, they'd be forced to separate on patrol, depriving them of their numerical strength. Each droid would be left vulnerable to the more precise aim of their organic enemies. From there, Kenta and the clones would not give them the chance to regroup.

Once the bait was set, Kenta ordered the clones to take shelter within the ruined buildings, watching over the openings of windows or holes caused by battle damage. Once they were secured, he would then tell them to feign their deaths, disguising themselves as lifeless bodies. The battle droids wouldn't have the time to check them out, since they would be on high alert for an ambush and that risking a clearance check on each building would be met with a very, very bad day for each droid that dared to check. Kenta would be making a convincing mask that shielded the clones from detection.

Twenty minutes after he made the plan to plan an ambush, Kenta quickly hid himself at the very middle of the town square, waiting alongside a few clones inside the war-torn chief's house, hiding inside the hay-filled barn, behind the large doors. From there, he would wait for the right time before the droids would be fully scattered and ripe for the taking.

That time was coming soon; they could hear marching coming from the trenches, indicating the droids' arrival. Everyone in the nearby buildings held their breath, letting their bodies slump as best they could.

"Steady, men." he told his three clones waiting with him in the barn. They clutched their rifles closely as they awaited Kenta's command. Once he and his clones start the attack, the rest of the battalion would follow along and ambush the droids when they least expect it.

The droid squad at the very front stepped forward towards the town. Based on the lack of hostile action against them so far, they seem to have been programmed to identify the situation to be neutralized. That was until they reached the very area where the deactivated droids were set up.

"Hold!" The lead droid squad leader held its hand up, stopping the infantry units behind him. It walked up to inspect the damage done, scanning the remains of their fallen to produce the output response to initiate upon said inspection. After programming within itself, the droid turned around to communicate with the rest.

"It's Unit 172. Poor guy." the droid spoke in grief before returning to its formal military tone. "Keep your sensors online! Look for any clones left around here! Shoot to kill."

"Roger, roger!" The force then continued to move on in their square formation, marching through the battered roads and passing the seemingly death-filled buildings. Such obtuse optics and artificial intelligence could only carry them so far, unable to see that most of the bodies found throughout were not what they seemed.

Surely, the limp bodies of the clone troopers in most of the buildings were not entirely lifeless. Weakened, but not lifeless. They still hoped that their previous injuries or incapacitations had not hampered their ability to fight. The safety of war-torn cover would give them some protection, but how long would they last against another army of droids, they could only hope for a miracle.

The wave of droids passed through the first set of buildings, where the clones in hiding there would take the rear and fire upon the trapped enemy units. On the other hand, Kenta and his own forces were at the very front of the ambush, still lingering within the shadows of the barn doors. Their heads peeped out to see the first line of droids coming for them, just barely out of sight from their optics.

Kenta waited, listening for the volume of the droid steps. The stomping got louder and louder after each second, indicating their estimated time of arrival. He had to wait for the right time to jump up and attack. For that to work, he trusted his instincts, using said volume as a tool to help him lock onto that time for assault. Only when the droids' steps were loud enough could he start the attack.

Seconds passed, the droids got closer and closer, with Kenta waiting on and on, carefully calculating their distance from him with his instincts. Tap, tap, tap… Slowly, he counted the amount of steps taken by the droids, closing in the moment to finally strike.

When the volume of the movement was audible and clear enough, Kenta felt it was time to spring the trap.

"Now!" As always, the Jedi Master sprung out first, firing his green blade in the face of the enemy. At the very second the droids spotted him, it was a second too late before he charged forward and decapitated the leading commander. They started firing at him, forcing the Jedi back in a flipping set of somersaults while spinning his body to block out the frenzy of blaster fire.

The clones saw the move as the signal; the entire force within the town soon jumped back to life, throwing away their act of playing dead to open fire on the encircled battle droids. A series of ion blasts surrounded the droids, making short work of the first wave with ease.

"Ambush! We're being… AAAH!" One after the other, the battle droids were shot down with prejudice, no mercy for the clankers. Kenta joined right in and sliced his saber into their dull armour, jumping from one side to the other in a flurry of acrobatic jumps and fast strikes that kept them guessing. He was accompanied by a few clones, who emerged from the ground levels of the buildings to provide cover for him, while the rest of those upstairs remained to gain the height advantage over them.

Overall, the first wave was easily wiped out, with a huge chunk of the droid attack suppressed. It all seemed like Kenta's plan to ambush the army managed to give them an edge; an entire squad of droids destroyed with not a single loss from the underpowered clone force left.

But that was only just the beginning. The clones down below maintained a steady defence of the square, hiding behind any debris or obstacles against the next wave of the droid assault. Kenta stood at the very front to lead them for another round, holding up his saber at the ready.

As soon as the second wave arrived, the defenders fired right away. The clones in the ruins stayed in their dilapidated protection, while those on the ground, formed the main firing line, shooting back at the droids. Blaster bolts of red and blue raced back and forth at each other like Geonosians in a Meckgin Festival, raging both sides with deadly firepower.

Kenta fended each torrent of blaster fire in his usual combat style, choosing to use his acrobatics to shift around instead of standing in one place and use his lightsaber. He figured that most of the firepower would be focused on him. According to Ruby, ever the droid mechanics enthusiast, she noticed a pattern in the droids' programming that prompted them to set their targeting chips to aim at Jedi or any other leading figure on the battlefield. As the war went on, Kenta soon started to spot that pattern as well. Using it to his advantage, he'd distract the battle droids just enough for the clones to return fire without losing too many of their numbers. That was why clones in his battalion felt safer under his command; coupled with Ruby's blitzing speed and attacks, they were an unstoppable force.

The second wave of droids was easily decimated as well, with only a few clones killed in the action. Even then, the battle was far from over. There were still the super battle droids to deal with, plus some armour. Probably doable, considering a Jedi Master was on board.

"Commando droids inbound!" They were not entirely right. As the third wave of droids arrived, a few more bad eggs jumped out of nowhere. Four BX commando droids, armed with their blasters and vibroblades, leapt into the scene, hopping into the buildings to clear out the clones hiding within.

They jumped into through the openings, grabbing trapped clones into their wrath and executing them on the spot, blades shanking through their flesh and blaster bolts struck in their heads. Kenta could hear the frightened and dying screams of the men being hunted down and killed by these ruthless assassins. Worse still, when he saw some clones run out to safety, they were immediately gunned down by the larger droid forces moving towards him. Fortunately, few of the clones were able to retreat just in time to join the main force on the ground.

The trap had been broken. Undaunted by the brutality of it all, however, Kenta stood firm and ready, poised to defend what was left of his troops and repulse another Separatist assault. Soon, the commando droids finished their killing spree and jumped back down to face the Jedi Master. All around him, Kenta was faced with yet another heated entrapment of enemy swordsmen, armed with blades meant for the kill.

Not much of a problem, since it had become something of a common problem for him long before the war…

* * *

 _Five years earlier_

Epcor,

Saronian System,

Expansion Region

"Behind you!" Ruby's warning came just at the right time. Kenta spun around to find his attacker swing his electrostaff at him. The Jedi Master spun around and parried the attack before tossing the Nikto assassin over him, sprawling him across the floor.

After the evasive move, the two Jedi regrouped, surrounded by a whole group of Nikto assassins, all armed with blades, beaming their glaring eyes on them while looking for their weak points. The trained hunters of the Gorigark Syndicate had their blades sharpened to deal with any troublemakers who dared to stick their noses into the businesses of the crime lord himself.

A spy mission gone wrong, Kenta and Ruby were left to fend for themselves against the five thugs under the service of a criminal mastermind, which threatened to flood an entire city by destroying a nearby dam, leaving the fatal torrents of water to incite destruction in its wake.

Atop the dam walls that protected the city from devastating flooding, the two Jedi kept their sights on their five enemies, sabers launched out for combat. The waters blocked by the dam raged on, crashing at the side of the wall, slightly deterring their focus within each coming wave. Instantly, one of the assassins jumped for Ruby, swinging his electric vibroblade to meet her own silver blade. While the Padawan was occupied with her own dangers, Kenta was left to defend himself from the other four brutes.

Their purple stained blades were pointed right at the Jedi, using his own lightsaber to warn them that any retribution would end in rather unsatisfying results. They took their chances anyway and moved to do him in, waving their weapons about to finish him off.

Kenta stood still, left leg bent backwards while the other held straight the other way. His lightsaber held to his right, with the blade lined horizontally in front of his face. The Nikto's circled him like a pack of beowolves, fiercely eyeing him at every turn. He patiently waited for one of them to make a move, even as the sounds of Ruby's own fight and the constant crashing of the waves behind them tried to distract him. He kept his focus on their aggression levels, feeling the tension in their blood. Should one exert too much of his pressure in his body, he would be the one to strike first and Kenta would strike that target first.

For a few seconds, the Nikto's kept their vigilance on the Jedi, waiting for a move. Kenta had not moved an inch, still anticipating an attack from either one of them. They seemed sure that he was already losing his threatening image, almost baffled that a Jedi Master, a feared warrior in the arts of the laser sword that he held, was being nothing more than a mere statue. So, finally, one of the Nikto's jumped up to make the first move.

Kenta sensed it, the anger from that assassin raged in a brilliant rush of energy. The instincts kicked, throwing the Jedi Master's arm to stop his attacker from making a deadly blow. After blocking the blade away, he then made one small jump forward to throw his lightsaber downwards before following it up with another series of fast-paced strikes, not giving the Nikto one bit of space and time to strike back. Being more experienced in swordsmanship, he was able to overpower his opponent with a few more hits of the blade and one final Force push that sent the brawler crashing into the railing of the dam, knocking him out.

Immediately, the next Nikto that came for him lashed his weapon at him, only to be blocked by the swift green blade by the twist of the Jedi's body to the right. Kenta swung right around and followed up with his own attack towards the hilt of the vibrosword, breaking it up and giving the grunt one nice kick to the face.

The last two Nikto warriors to challenge him decided to double their strength and fight alongside one another, apparently rivalling the Jedi in numbers. Combining their strengths, they made a double move to slash both of their weapons at him, one sword from the vertical highpoint and the other horizontally. Sensing for the intersection between the blade swings, Kenta moved his blade right at the centre, locking them both into place.

The combined forces of the blades kept Kenta at bay, locking him in an unmovable position that, should he let go, he would be left vulnerable to either opponent afterwards. He needed to find a new angle to gain a better edge over his enemies, so that he would come out unscathed. He turned to see the support pillar in between two railings just at the very edge of the dam's ledge, behind the two assailants. Grabbing his chances, the Jedi prepared to leap away and shift through the blades with his acrobatics. He waited, patiently concentrating on throwing his body to the will of the Force, depending on nothing more than fate to carry him forward; nothing solid to confirm his chances of survival or death. Just let go and embrace whatever might happen and work with it; one way or another.

His right foot slid to the side, dragging his foot across the metal floor and slightly tipping his hold on the vibroblades, sliding his lightsaber just enough to give him room to make the jump. Finally, after a second of minor movement, Kenta jumped and spun his body, slipping away from the two Nikto's and hovered over them. They nearly tumbled after the Jedi escaped their clutches, watching him somersault over them before he landed right onto the support pillar of the railing with perfect balance.

Kenta stood onto the thin pillar with both of his feet squeezed closely together, standing like a statue over its podium, eyeing down onto the two appalled men. Giving them one last grin, he then jumped back down with a powerful slash of his saber, disarming them of their weapons before their day was done.

* * *

 _Present_

The first droid tried to strike first, only for the green blade to catch its weapon before it was swung to the side to be thrown off. Once the second commando droid attacked, Kenta stepped back and forth, duelling with it by shuffling his body around to dodge each slice and dice while managing to prevent the droid's blade from cutting him up with his own weapon. His emphasis on body movement than his lightsaber combat skills made him a more evasive trickster than a swordsman, relying on swift strafing and tight slides or jumps to wear out his foes or, in this case, disorientate a droid's programming.

Only when the commando droid would face its back to his front, the Jedi would easily take the chance and lunge his weapon at it. The green blade speared right into the durable metal body of the droid, struck through the chest and deactivating its core systems. Pulling the blade back, the droid fell down to the ground, no longer functional.

The other two droids crept up to him, immediately lunging their weapons to stab the Jedi. Kenta ducked down, pushing his saber upwards to push the incoming blades upwards. He then spun around and tried to slash them at their chests, but the commandoes flipped away from his counter. The two sides stood idly for a few seconds, locking their sights on each other, anticipating each other's actions. The clones continued to fire back at the droid army on the other side, doing their best not to hit their General as he duelled on.

The purple blades of the commandoes surged left and right, taking turns to hit the Jedi in an effort to misguide him and strike his weak spot. Kenta enhanced his focus on the droids by drowning out the noises of battle as much as he could, only taking in the essence of battle between himself and his enemies, as if the droids were the only threat posed against him.

Slash after slash, the blows kept coming, simultaneous attacks that kept him at his toes throughout the battle. Kenta balanced himself on the rock-hard, edgy ground, carefully sliding his feet through while keeping his grip on his saber in check. Not an easy feat to pull off, but he wasn't trained to balance his defensive and offensive capabilities all his life for nothing. He kept his focus on awaiting his opponents to expose another weak spot in their attack, so that he could swoop right in and attack.

As he danced away from the blades, he concentrated on each possible point of attack, seeing the chance to strike them both in one blow. That came when the droids swung at the same time at different directions, forming a single line of opening that Kenta easily exploited with one strike. One slash and the droid commandoes were immediately sliced into two pieces each, leaving it down to one more before he would focus on the rest of the droids.

 **SLASH!**

All of a sudden, Kenta felt a sharp blow to his right arm, singeing with such ferocious burns that ripped a hole in his long, loose sleeve. A deep cut surged through his skin, severely hurting him. He grasped the wound, letting the fabric of his sleeve press onto the scorched mark while eyeing the attacker that managed to slice him. The final droid didn't even stand still to give Kenta the chance to surrender; it just went straight for him with prejudice, programmed to eliminate its target.

Despite the cut arm, the Jedi calmly switched the lightsaber to his left hand, relying on the less proficient arm to fight the commando droid. Even with the wound constantly burning his arm with stinging pain, Kenta fought with all his power, relying on his senses more than he did before he sustained the injury. It was a little harder to fight like this, but he was handling well against the droid, still blocking its attacks without breaking his guard.

Eventually, the two combatants locked their blades together again. The injured Jedi struggled to keep his balance and hold on the droid as it pushed him back. The strain upon his arm greatly weakened his hold, the grip on his weapon slowly loosening with the droid about to overpower him. Kenta knew this, so he had to result to some help to deal with the problem.

"Fire on the commando droid, now!" At the sound of his voice, the clones obliged and shot the commando droid from behind cover, pelting it up with shots without end until it collapsed, out of action.

After finishing up with the commando droids, Kenta immediately retreated behind the clones as they fired back at the battle droids. By then, the gap was already closed between the two opposing sides, the droids just metres away from the surviving clones. The Jedi General stood his ground, using his left arm to swing his saber to deflect the shots as long as he could, giving the clones a better chance at taking them out.

The defence stood for the next few minutes, with a few clones shot down in place of dozens of droids. The Republic forces defied the odds, firing their weapons until the last energy charge was depleted, when they were forced to use their secondary pistols to finish up their fight. Kenta kept his strength at an all-time optimum, shrugging off the pain of his wound to keep the line secure while the troopers steadied themselves to defend their leader.

"Retreat!" Finally, after a heroic stand, the clones managed to pick off enough droids to make the enemy call for a retreat. The lines threw themselves the other way, falling back and away from the town. One by one, they continued to be shot down by the clones, still defending the square by firing upon the fleeing droids.

Watching the droids retreat, Kenta finally relaxed, releasing the tension against his wound and letting the pain settle in hard. He toppled to the ground, resting against the ruined debris while the clones cheered on at the retreating enemy. He grabbed onto the slashed wound on his arm, massaging it with soothing gentleness. It wasn't the worst pain he had felt in a while, but it definitely caught him completely off guard. Now, he had to slowly recover as much as he could before any more surprises would come up to hurt him and his forces.

"Are you alright, sir?!" A clone trooper ran up to the downed Jedi, crouching and checking on the arm.

"Just a cut, soldier." uttered Kenta, assuring the clone that he was in no critical condition.

"Get some medical supplies! The General has been wounded!" As the clones recuperated once more, Kenta rested his head back onto the stone slab, breathing in and out, meditating his composure to ease the pain until help arrived.

Having a few victories in his belt, the Master already experienced a lot of pain and tension in the coming battles ahead, adding stress to his body and mind. Despite the hardships he had never felt before, he composed himself every step of the way, not letting any victory excite him, nor any defeat discourage him. Every step he took was a step forward towards the eventual peace of the galaxy.

Afterwards, two clone troopers came in front of him and looked down on him. Kenta could feel the tension swimming in their minds after fighting the droids with attrition bearing down on them. They then took off their helmets, giving themselves breathing space.

"Even if we survive this one, sir, they may bring in the big guns next." sighed one of the clones. Kenta didn't like the odds, either. Then again, who was to tell him of the possible or the impossible? Nothing had always been according to expectations, nothing was ever for sure. Nevertheless, if they had to win this battle, they had to acquire the advantage over the enemy.

"Get me through with the fleet." ordered Kenta, but the other clone shook his head.

"Can't, sir. Long range communications are being jammed." he explained. The Jedi thought of another way to contact for air support and reinforcements. If communications to orbit were cut off, then maybe he could try a longer way to get the fighters.

"See if you can get contact with the airfield. I'm not sure how strong the jamming is, but let's hope we're in good range." It was a long shot, but the clones knew they had to try. Anything was better than being stranded without any chance for reinforcements.

* * *

Republic Outpost Olympia,

Marthon,

Azermoth System,

Outer Rim Territories,

Ruby didn't want to show it, but her anxiety was already mounting up with each passing second. She paced around the command room, impatiently waiting for a sign that her former Master was safe, perhaps also eager to hear any call for her help.

She didn't know how to get through with her obsession for action. The desire to sneak out and get to the battle was taking over her mind yet again, thinking of other excuses to justify her actions to join Kenta in the fight.

But she resisted the urge, knowing that she was put here to defend the innocent refugees housed in the base. Then she should be down there, tending to them, and not stand around the command centre, doing nothing. Alas, while medics maintain their quarantine check on the civilians, there was nothing she could do to amuse herself in the meantime, only to tease her favourite astromech droid by poking at his little nose-like holo-projector, much to his annoyance.

 **BEEP! BEEP!**

Then, her senses tingled wildly. At last, a sign! The command table beeped up, alerting her of a call from someone. It didn't matter who it was from; it just had to be important, for her own sake. She ran up to join Commander Kaiser and await the word of whoever might need her aid.

But then, disappointment surged back in when she saw the image of Kenta being projected from out of the orb. Like he needed any help, Ruby thought; he was always capable of handling things by himself, so there was too little of a chance she could ever get to assist him.

"Kaiser." called Kenta. "We're running out of reinforcements down here. You need to tell the Admiral up in orbit to send in fighter support." Ruby could see the weakened state of the Master, noticing his hand grabbing the side of his other arm. Beneath the palm was a bright, clear image of something wrapped around it, easily identified as a bandage. With his body state also looking depleted, the young Knight fell worried in an instant.

Despite Kenta's call for support, Kaiser shook his head, crossing his arms with regret to tell the General the bad news.

"The fleet is still being bombarded by more Separatist frigates and fathers, sir." he explained. "They'll be unable to send you fighter support until we blast through the enemy fleet."

"You sure I can't come to help, Master?" Ruby wanted to go out and help. She quickly became worried for her Master's safety after seeing the state he was in, feeling that she should rush to the rescue. It didn't matter if she wanted to leave the base to find adventure; now it was really time to jump right in. "You know I can…"

Alas, Kenta refused to acknowledge her assistance, interrupting her request.

"No, Ruby." said Kenta. "You need to stay at base and protect the refugees. Their survival is crucial in convincing the opposing militia to change their minds about fighting us. And the one person everyone needs to ensure peace and calmness, ironically, is you."

Ruby didn't utter a word, overcome with an absence of responsibility to accompany Kenta. Even if she wasn't the most loyal of Padawans, she always cared for her Master as if he was a second father to her. No matter how much the Council told her to sway away from attachments, she always seemed to stick closely to him. And whether Kenta liked it or not, even with all the denials that came from his teachings, he couldn't shake the parental role he had for his student.

"I know you want to help, but there are a lot of people who need a Jedi like you to defend them. Take what with you and use it to your advantage." At last, Ruby had to accept the facts. He was right, as always…

"You always know to keep me occupied in the best way, Kenta." she smiled in defeat. They were the only Jedi in charge of this battle, so it was only necessary that one had to stay behind in a very important military and civilian target for the Separatists. He trusted her with this position, so she was to take the job with great care, to protect the innocent within.

"Glad to know you appreciate it." said Kenta with a soft, gentle smile. "Just keep in touch with the Admiral. The sooner he gets those fighters off, the better. And when reinforcements arrive at the airbase, you can come over to help." Once the promise was given, the hologram shut itself down, disappearing into the table and removing the blue hue of the room.

"Easier said than done." Ruby peered over to the clone commander, hearing his comment while he rubbed the back of his head, uncertainty etched on his roughed face. "Sorry, General."

"What for?" asked Ruby.

"You seemed distressed. I mean, the fleet is taking a lot of damage. They may not be able to hold out for much longer." Ruby nodded at his answer, understanding his concern for her own. Then, at his own strain, he slammed his fist on the table, letting out a frustrated groan. "Blast! Can't believe we're being circled by these clankers!"

Ruby looked out the window of the command room, worries building up like the light of day from a rising sun; slowly but surely. While she was content of being responsible for the safety of the refugees and the security of the airbase, she couldn't help but feel burdened that she wasn't going to help Kenta in his battle against the droid armies at his worst condition yet. She felt empty that she wasn't able to come to save him and assist him in winning the sector from the Separatists, but she had to be confided with the role of defending the civilians in the base.

"This is one of those days I wished I knew how to fly…"

* * *

Exorma Town,

Marthon,

Azermoth System,

Sighing in defeat, Kenta switched off his link to the airbase, the holographic images of Kaiser and Ruby fading off into the table in front of him. Even if having them by his side would even the odds against his current predicament, he was advocate on dividing the prime power of the Republic forces between himself and them, letting the other half protect the more important target while he kept the offensive in check.

After his conversation, he looked around to see the remaining strength of his forces, counting the losses he had taken. From what he was told, about two hundred and fifty, well-armed troopers and an armoured group of walkers were tasked to attacking and defending the town from endless waves of droids; a full-fledged number of clone forces would have been at his disposal. Now, only a fraction; a sixteenth of that force, was left sprawling along the walls and floors of the rummaged city, with all of their walkers left burning from the previous battles. Worse still, his arm was still slashed, the wound still stinging constantly, making his grip shaky and weakened, almost unable to hold a lightsaber should he need it.

The conditions of the men were, overall, at their lowest points. Battered, bruised, even singed from blaster fire; most of the men had been shaken badly from their previous assaults. For the troopers who were still in good shape, they were almost demoralized, unable to withstand another day of fighting. Their bodies slumped to the front, not looking straight enough to muster up their courage. Even if they could carry their rifles and shoot, their spirits were already ruptured, their dedication drained. The men would rather stand down and surrender than die a painful death.

"Looks like we're stranded here." complained one of the clones who overheard Kenta speak with Kaiser. Kenta could hear the two soldiers conversing, resting against a pile of shattered stone wall. Their weapons were both left lying down on the floor, one of them with an empty ammo chamber, not being reloaded for the next attack. The feeling of loss and fear was plain to Kenta as the words on a neon billboard.

"No air support? How do you expect we'll survive this?"

"Let's face it. The clankers win this one." The two continued to talk down on themselves, not believing once that they could outmatch the droid army, never mind going toe-to-toe. Their confidence was almost non-existent, depleted and vanished. The lack of spirit was found in all of the clones around him, as they did nothing but succumb to utter defeat.

Kenta needed to rally the men up, get them ready to battle and defy the odds. Nothing was impossible; they just needed to find the courage and the hope to push them further. The only problem was; he was not the crowd pleaser of the team. That distinction went to Ruby, who was always the one cheering out the orders to the men while they made the charge. The men seemed to have been charmed by her courageous spirit and uplifting voice, that they'd jump right into the fray as soon as she gave the word.

Kenta, on the other hand, was more of the silent, direct leader, not choosing to make any battle cries or speeches to muster up the troops to battle. Orders were the only thing that came out of his mouth, not once lifting his mood to spring them into action.

If the men were not feeling the need to fight, then he had to do something about it. He had to inspire them to take up arms and make a stand.

Just as how Ruby would do in times of struggle…

* * *

 _Three years earlier_

Anaxes,

Axum System,

Core Worlds,

The streets of Anaxi were bustling with activity, with two different kinds of crowds of hundreds each, scattering throughout the spacious square. The first group, the local Anaxes population, were watching from behind security barricades and road blocks, blocked by guards while witnessing the other group walk down from a large cargo transport at the city square.

This other group marched down from the ship, herding and moving down the large boarding ramp and down towards the metal floor. They all carried piles of luggage and cargo down, accompanied by the crew of the ship who hauled the heavy loads down for them. Upon the sudden desolation of a nearby planet, these evacuees were lucky enough to be crowded into the ship, only to feel the sorrow of those they left behind; family and friends who had to wait and suffer the toxic cataclysm that plagued the planet.

The refugees were sombrely walking down to the city, met with mixed feelings from the natives, who were divided between accepting the poor souls and downright protesting against their intrusion.

Either way, the Republic forces that came to aid the refugees refused to back down to the outcries of the crowd. They welcomed those were had the heart to help the refugees while pushing back the rest; the people who either wished to meddle in the chaos or defy the arrival of the unfortunate.

Among the representatives sent to calm the crowds of evacuees, Kenta and Ruby mingled around in the nearby medical tent, tending to those who were being checked for any internal injuries or remnants of disease from the toxic air of their planet. The Jedi Master was seated down next to a Mirialan woman, checking the gash she had suffered on her arm. He bandaged up the arm after applying bacta to the wound, wrapping it up gently as to avoid the stings of exposed damaged flesh.

The woman's face was as riddled with pain and fear as the rest of the refugees. After the sudden destruction of the planet's environment, they were all caught unprepared for the clouds of death that already claimed the lives of countless others.

All Kenta could do, in the meantime, was to join the Republic in assist in the therapeutic company of medical support teams from other member worlds. A few of the Jedi from Coruscant was also dispatched to join in the consoling, doing the same thing he was by maintaining the peace and ensure that the refugees were safely and fairly treated.

After finishing up with the patient, Kenta patted her other arm, nodding with gentle calm to tell her that she was going to make it. The woman returned the gesture, smiling sadly at the Jedi, thanking him for the aid. Afterwards, Kenta rose up and left the woman to rest on her stretcher, allowing a medical droid to take his place. By turning away from her, he could see the rest of the people being healed throughout. He sighed sadly at the many sorrowful others who were being treated by medical staff, feeling the pain that was being poured out by those who sat by their sides. Worse still, there were those who weren't lucky, dying upon landing and being covered in thick sheets while the loved ones of the departed shed tears of utter devastation.

In this sad scene, Kenta had to remain strong, believing that those who perished would become one with the Force, passing on peacefully and escaping the suffering. All he could do, whenever he would stay upon the dying, was to ease their pain and hold their hands until they finally expired.

Just as he was about to find more to do, he stumbled upon his Padawan, who stood in front of a woman and her child. The little girl sobbed as she buried her face onto her mother's legs, irked by the sudden illness her father had suffered.

Upon seeing her crying, Ruby crouched down, joined by the mother as they comforted the sobbing girl, placing a hand on her forehead to rub on it. Before long, the daughter then jumped around and hugged Ruby, her loving embrace graciously returned. The girl cried for another minute, while the young Padawan continued to smother her with all the care she had, which Kenta knew; she had enough to celebrate a whole Life Day.

Ruby couldn't feel the wet tears soak her robes, but she did feel the heartbreak. She could sense every single strobe of hurt that came from the little girl's heart, every brush of sorrow within her soul. She had been broken by the sudden strike to her father's health, which also caused her mother to dwell into a state of panic as well.

"You think my daddy's going to be okay?" whimpered the girl, still burying her head into Ruby's chest.

"Of course!" Ruby cheered, staying strong for the young one, hugging her gently still. "Fathers always stay strong, even when sick. You have to believe in him and the people helping him now."

Even if the man's condition was much worse than what Ruby was unwilling to reveal, Kenta couldn't be any prouder of how his Padawan could defuse any negative situation, bringing hope to those who couldn't take the pain of heart. He watched her comfort the child onwards, leaving her to do her part in the mission.

He wondered how Ruby could have ever possessed such a contagious sense of affection, despite every attempt the Council made to discourage her. But one thing was certain; she did take it from her mother…

* * *

 _Present_

And that act of inspiration was what Kenta needed to get his troops back into fighting form… Minus the loving part, of course…

If there was one thing about being a leader in a battle, leading them by example was always the way to do it. He had to step up and finally take charge, just as he had done so far in this war. The only thing he'd had to add to his leadership was to rise up and take a stand, encouraging his men by voice and spirit. It was the role of the General to push his or her soldiers to the brink of all-out combat, not just for the sake of winning, but for fighting for what was right.

Finally, remembering the example Ruby had put up for their troops, Kenta approached the troops, inspired to lead them forward. As he stood in front of them, they hastily snapped out of their hopeless conversation and stood at attention. The General noticed the trembling of their bodies, shaking almost too much for their liking, right under his nose. It looked as if they were in trouble for displaying such shrewd weakness towards the Jedi.

Alas, Kenta didn't waver on disappointment, nor did he rebuke or share their desperation. Instead, he carried on like any good leader would; reaching out to whatever drove their 'spirit' to fight.

"I don't really know much about you clones, but you seem to be much harder on fighting than your reputation suggests." Kenta spoke with compassion, as if the men before them weren't just synthetic life born from the vats of Kamino, but rather actual organic beings, with a real soul that heralded from other worlds. "How good's your combat record?"

"I was one of the men who fought on Geonosis, sir." acknowledged the first clone.

"I accompanied you on Igma Dun, sir." added the other. Taking in their experience, Kenta didn't need to elaborate his point. He knew they had been through more combat than their current states of depression suggested. Kenta thought so; he too had been on Geonosis when the Clone War began, and he had been on several battles, including Igma Dun, ever since. He was there with those clones; he had been through what they had. The fighting, the blaster fire, the deaths, the victories and defeats. Everything they experienced had led them to this very day, and so would countless other battles to come.

"If you can fight your way through those and all other battles that followed, then what's going to stop you here?" he asked them, making them think about the many lives they shared their times with. The brothers they lost in this war.

Kenta pushed to remind them of those losses, to restore peace to the warring galaxy. There was always time to motivate others to fight, especially when peace is on the line; a path that the Jedi will do whatever is right to pursue it, even if it meant bending a few rules.

And so, he used the Force and picked up their blasters, handing them over to the troopers, who now stood attentively at his side.

"Pick up your weapons. Defend the innocent and not let your fellow clones' sacrifices be for naught. Those are the orders you were given, but you will make sure that those you will be fighting for are as precious to you as your own **brothers**." Kenta took the last word to heart; something he never thought he would do. For a while, he had assumed the clones were nothing more than 'programmed men', made to follow orders without the slightest hesitation.

But after all he had been through with his reckless apprentice, her witty droid, and their even crazier counterpart clone trooper who they called Duo, there was more to these soldiers than met his eyes. Again, it reminded him of the philosophy that Master Yoda always told him of.

 _Look beyond what your eyes tell you, and trust the Force…_

"Are you with me?" he called to them with one more rallying call. At last, with dedication poured into their bodies, the clones stomped their feet down, straightened their bodies upright, and shouted.

"Sir! Yes, sir!" Kenta smiled, giving them hope that he would lead them to victory.

"Then, get ready. Get the men to line up for battle."

The two clones soon followed up on Kenta's orders. Once they snapped back to the reality of fulfilling their duties and the role of protecting the Republic, they called up the rest of the men. They remembered what Kenta told them and followed up on his word, conveying his message to every other clone in the area. Brother after brother, they gathered back their strengths, spreading the word to take up arms.

Kenta took his time to ease the pain he took while doing his part to assure the troops that they would fight on for the greater good. He kept on inspiring and inspiring, until he was already aware that everyone was slowly getting their spirits.

Soon, everyone was back in shape; helmets firmly placed on their heads, weapons fully loaded, and their confidence restored. They lined up at the front of the city, just between the buildings and the levelled trenches on the hills below them.

Among them, their Jedi General stood at the forefront position, not holding his lightsaber yet. Kenta needed to relax himself, feel the Force soothing his body and suppressing the wound to his arm. It had gone a little better, but he'd still have to face the resulting shaking of the limb that came from the shock of the attack. Regardless, the Jedi was all ready to grab hold of his weapon; his life.

Then, within distance, they could see the next wave of the droid army. Another line of droids marched forth, hardened for battle against a weakened Republic defence.

The clones readied their weapons. Amongst the clicking of their blasters, Kenta reached for his saber, activating the green blade, ready to face the droids for a last stand. If this was to be his final day, then let it be done for the people of the planet.

"Good luck, General." wished the clone next to him. Kenta breathed out, shaking his head.

"In our book, there is no such thing as luck." Finally, as the droids got closer, the saber is lit up. Seconds later, the shots were fired and the saber began swinging for the final battle.

As the clones kept their momentum, Kenta swung his blade as strongly as he could. He would have to buy the reinforcements time and energy to finish off the enemy attack and allow the Republic to move forward and his the battle on Marthon.

For now, he was to fight alongside soldiers who were not just clones, but were actual fighting men, with hearts of steel-hard gold. To the very end, he would hold the line and help the Republic win the war, by however the Force willed it…

* * *

 _Thirty minutes later_

Ruby stood tightly in the hull of the gunship, flanked by two lines of clones who held onto the railings above them. She was gripping Crescent Rose ever so tightly. It was already unfurled into its combat mode, but the kyber crystal inside it had not been triggered to ignite her blade, with the metal blade stuck onto the floor.

The moment she heard that the battle at Exorma Town had ended, she literally sped her way to the landing bay and boarded the gunship sent to reinforce the frontline; so fast that once she had taken off, she had totally forgotten about Zee and Kaiser, the latter of whom was supposed to accompany her to the town.

All she was worried about was Kenta. Word had already reached that he managed to turn the tide, but she was so quick to leave the base that she didn't hear of the fate of her Master.

If he survived the battle, how bad were the injuries? How many men did they lose defending the town? Worst of all, was he even okay? The last question haunted her, worried that Kenta wouldn't have the chance to make it.

She shook her head, unaccepting of the worst possible outcomes of the battle. He was as tough as they come. Surely, he would have made it. She couldn't bear to stand by the body of another one so dear to her, even if Pi was only an acquaintance to the young Knight.

By the time the pilot announced to the crew of their arrival, Ruby immediately brushed her way through the right side, not once holding the railings. She wished she could see the scene through the thin set of viewports that lined the door. Alas, they were shut to avoid possible droid fighter interceptions, leaving her in suspense.

Finally, the doors opened, giving Ruby a good look over the harrowing scene of destruction below. Already, her heart raced to find death sprawling throughout the town. Bodies were already being hauled into stretchers, hidden within pitch black sheets. The toll was unknown to Ruby, but knowing that she was in the first gunship on arrival, that made it all the more alarming.

She scanned the town for any sign of her Master, whether he was still standing or, at least, resting against some stone wall or on the ground. Whatever condition he was in, she had to see him breathing to fully confirm his survival.

Once the ship touched down, Ruby jumped off immediately, searching frantically for Kenta. She ran through the clones, dismayed further by the amount of casualties sustained in the fight. Few clones were seen battered and wounded, many more nothing more than lifeless bodies being hauled in preparation for their wakes.

Despite the deaths of the clones, she was more concerned over Kenta's own fate. Each minute she looked, she became more and more distraught, plunging into desperation. She kept looking, hoping for a sign; a single word from a clone and such…

And then, at last, she found him. Sprawled against a stone wall, in between two clone troopers who were standing by his sides, she could see the slumped body of Kenta Barak, clothes ripped on most parts, bruises and cuts etched on his skin. His saber dropped onto the ground, his hand opened to release it.

But the most damning sign of them all to Ruby was clear… Upon looking closer, she saw the fate of her fallen Master, confirming what had happened to him after his fateful battle against the Separatist armies.

Right at his mouth, she saw movement at the slowest pace. He was breathing…

At last, Ruby could relax. Kenta had been through death-defying situations before, but they were never this intense. She definitely knew she would survive those stunts, but war was a different story. The stakes were higher, and thus, the chances of death levelled up as well. She had never been more anxious over his survival in such a long time, almost breaking down at the fact that she might have lost him this early.

After finally catching him, she saw his bruised face, peering at her with a weak smile. The two clones beside him got back up and saw Ruby as well. With the two Jedi reunited, they decided to leave them be, giving the girl ample time to help her Master recover. They walked past her, with the first clone, patting her on the shoulder.

"You should have seen General Barak, Rose." barked the clone with glee. "He's one heck of a leader!" Once they left, Ruby was left to walk over to the downed Jedi, bending down at his side. She gave him a sad grin, still relieved that he was okay, but somehow noticing the sudden change of mood in the clone troopers earlier. Kenta was never the type to be giving the men a reason to feel jolly about in battle. Now, all of a sudden, they were treating him like he was a true leader to respect and feel energetic with.

"So, you do have a soft spot for clones, after all." laughed Ruby.

"What's your point?" Kenta scoffed mockingly with the shrug of his shoulders. "They just needed guidance. And I'm glad they actually listen to me. You should take some tips from them. You'll learn something."

Ruby fell silent, just seeing how passionate he was towards soldiers who, as far as she'd seen, were not too enthusiastic about being led by him, at least, compared to her.

"You do know it, right?" she said.

"What?"

"You didn't see them as just soldiers. You led them out there, like they were your own flesh and blood. A real leader always leads his troops, treating them with dignity and respect. A classic epic!"

Kenta guessed she was right… The clones did become even more determined to fight when he was out giving them words of encouragement, rather than stale, direct orders. He felt the sudden resolve, built into their genetic codes, firing up within themselves, joining together with him in the final stand before reinforcements came. There was something more to these clones than he previously thought before, and it seemed to stem from the surprising statements made by his own former Padawan.

 _She really is your daughter, Summer_.

"You're one heck of a Jedi, Kenta." commented Ruby.

"And I suppose you could thank me for your own prowess?" spoke Kenta with suave sass, earning a huff from Ruby's mouth.

"Don't push it."

Ruby went beside Kenta and sat against the wall, joining him as he rested for the day; a day of heavy fighting and heavier consequences. A town saved and reinforced meant the Republic would be able to continue the push to the enemy's main bases. It'd take two days for Kenta to fully recuperate from his wounds before leading the final charges to chase the Separatists off the planet and restore control for the local government.

Another day, another battle won, and many more to come, with Kenta and Ruby both guarantee to push the men even further to the end…

 **TO BE CONTINUED**


	23. A Faunus in Mos Espa

**A/N~ It's been late, but Happy New Year, everyone XD Anyways, it's time to shift focus to another character and move on.**

 **Reviews**

 **NK02**

 **Come on, man. It's too soon to kill him off when I told you I wanted to flesh him out XD**

 **Guest #1**

 **I'm really happy you love this story** **I already plan for the girls to meet in a later chapter, of course, but it might take a while before then. I want to continue writing them in separate situations to build up the eventual meeting. Of course, I can't make a RWBY story if I don't have a part where all four of them are together.**

 **TaitanoRules555**

 **Thanks for the feedback, man. I've already told what Carolina looks like underneath the helmet somewhere. Do take another look XD**

 **Guest #2**

 **I'm still trying to build up the reasons behind Ruby's 'visits', but they may need some work to do, so I'll read up your theory and see if something can be done. (You will be credited, of course XD)**

 **As always, thanks to BenRG, Taitano, Gungrave Company and TheLastBattalion for the faves!**

* * *

 **Chapter 15: A Faunus in Mos Espa**

 _ **Hiding in the shrouds will only make you more vulnerable than being out in the open...**_

 _Faunus in hiding!_

 _After a rough encounter on Dantooine, Blake Belladonna finally sets off to find her way and prevent the galaxy's unfortunate souls from plunging into darkness._

 _A long travel across the galaxy and a shortage of fuel had forced her to settle down on the planet Tatooine, where she shall prepare to move on to her first step towards her goals..._

* * *

Tatooine

You can never imagine such a barren desert world to be of any significance in the galaxy. And yet, somehow, here it was, sitting in the middle of Outer Rim to be filled with some of the most wretched of scum and villainy. The Hutts clearly had their mark on this desert planet. It was, after all, the home of Jabba himself, where he would bask in Tatooine's binary suns' glow to enjoy a life of cruel entertainment and gruesome paradise.

Clearly, he wasn't the only one thriving in these otherwise desolate sandy wastelands. A few settlements were able to survive throughout the centuries, probably even thrive, if you consider the dark happenings going on behind the scenes 'thriving'.

Though Mos Eisley had a lot more 'attractions' to offer, Mos Espa had garnered a decent following from folks across the galaxy, with its very own race track to bring in its people. However, the next Boonta Eve was still a long way to go, so there wasn't much to go around for, except the larger collection of junk dealers found across the city would make it stand out from the rest, or maybe being the safer place to land for spacers when Mos Eisley would be at its prime; which still wasn't saying much, considering it was still a bad egg within this desert wasteland of a planet.

Speaking of troublemakers, the city was still a hodgepodge for nasty beings to come over and make do with whatever and whoever they wished. In a local cantina somewhere near the outskirts, a scuffle was about to happen.

The adobe building was shaped pretty much like every single one in Mos Espa, with a small domed roof on top and open archways lining its walls, revealing the bustling pub, which was complete with the central drinking bar and several tables surrounding it. Outside the bar, out in the open Tatooine sunlight, one of several outdoor tables was being occupied by a lone stranger; one who needed to find a place to gather up her strength and find her way backto the galaxy.

Blake could have picked a nicer planet to settle in. She could have gone somewhere where the elements would be much more favourable, perhaps even hospitable. And yet, throughout her retreat from the Tingle Arm, she ended up here, in this harsh environment that reminded her of several others, only much worse.

Nothing could be done, though. After her escape from Dantooine, she needed to find several places where she could begin her mission to find her cause. Her choices were widespread, forced to select from several star systems, but all of them, to her mixed reception, were in the Outer Rim.

Worse still, Tatooine was **not** one of those intended to avoid it and find somewhere less hostile, not under the control of an organization as dangerous as the Hutts. Unfortunately, her ship ran out of fuel, leaving her no choice but to dock here where she could refuel. It wasn't going to be easy hiding within the rock cliffs, where nearby hunting groups of the ferocious Tusken Raiders were camping out, in wait of victims to be hunted down and brought back to their villages. If not the so-called Sand People, then there were the Jawas, who would probably strip her ship clean of any available scrap metal and electronics possible. In other worlds, just a few of these fur balls were enough to irritate anyone in possession of any droid or vehicle. Now, she remembered that Tatooine was their homeworld, so a whole planet of them would be any ship or droid's worst nightmare.

It wouldn't be much use landing out in the open sand, where the Tuskens had already attempted to strike at the local gangsters for a previous attack on their villages. Thus, she had to land the ship into the city itself, docking it in one of the landing bays; one of many that made Mos Espa the primary landing site for spacers in the first place. She had the right to worry, for her Mandalorian fighter would be an oddity among the more common spacecraft seen flying and landing here and there.

Still, she had to make do of the lack of incognito status until she was ready to fly out and search for a place to begin her search for the cause she needed to fulfil in a galaxy filled with turmoil and strife.

While she waited, Blake sat down at one of the tables outside the cantina, quietly seated with a drink on it. She didn't know if it was fresh or without alcohol, but she was pretty content with it so far, so there was nothing wrong with it. She just hoped it wouldn't eventually come gurgling up in her stomach after a while.

Just then, the bartender came up to her, hands to his hips as he stopped to glare at her. Blake didn't even blink an eye as she looked at him to see the crossed look on his face.

"You're going to pay for the damage, lady!" scowled the bartender. Blake rose up from her seat and pulled out a few extra credits from her pocket, throwing them to the dirty table without courtesy.

"Here." she growled. "Now, just do your job and keep quiet." The silent Faunus walked away from the table, leaving the bartender to grumble and pick up the money. Also out of her way, a bunch of unconscious bodies laid down on the ground, followed by a few broken glasses and dropped mugs, with two toppled tables inside the cantina. Blake couldn't help it; she had to defend herself when a few of those men tried to have some 'fun' with her. All there was left were a few bruises and even more crippled egos, along with a disgruntled bartender. The rest of the patrons just continued their usual businesses, as if nothing ever happened.

Blake kept walking away from the pub and the mess she made, into the busy streets of Mos Espa. After travelling around the Outer Rim years before, she had been to many places that were outright riddled with trouble, but never had she and her former comrades even tried to skim the surface of Tatooine, where she would hear the unpleasant stories from her brothers and sisters of the terrible happenings and the powerful grip of the Hutts. To Blake, really, those are just tales, and yet, she knew that this desert world was still one of the worst places you could ever expect to be in.

A very dim star, far away from the bright jewel of the galaxy that was Coruscant. How far the worlds were from each other; that told Blake everything she needed to know about the state of Tatooine. It was a world too far to be helped by the Republic. And, to Blake's slight relief, too far for even the White Fang to even consider reaching as of now.

She didn't want to stay here too long, though. She had to leave the scorching planet the moment she was notified of her ship's full refuelling. In the meantime, she had to make do of the surrounding activities and see if there was anything to go by.

As she searched, Blake dug into the undershirt beneath her leather vest, pulling out a necklace with the special trinket she got from the Twilek family on Dantooine.

Blake had the piece of the kalikori she was given by that sweet little girl on Dantooine, tied to a necklace now worn around her neck. She marvelled at how synonymous it felt to her own character. The stealthy haunting presence of the night painted in black; the smooth, elegant swirls and curves forming the cat-like face to serve as a double connection to herself; both in character and her physical form. She admired how Amma could have ever predicted how she lived her life by just looking at her.

There was no point hiding who she was. On the outside, at least. She wasn't going to be ashamed of who she really is. She can only throw away her past behind and embrace a new future as a new being. Still, that didn't mean completely revealing her Faunus features to the outside world, lest to avoid trouble. Her cat ears were still hidden beneath a bandanna, strapped on with a pair of goggles that would protect her eyes from any sandstorms.

Blake still had to endure the coarse conditions of the environment. She felt the hot breeze of the Tatooine heat constantly warming her body, followed by grains of sand bristling against her bare arms. A shabby black scarf was worn to protect her face from the rigid temperatures, but it too flapped to the quiet breeze, indicating the build-up of an incoming sandstorm.

She had to take shelter before the next storm kicked in. The cantina wasn't really the best place to hide to begin with. It's exposed interior wouldn't do much to shield her from the blinding dust and sand that would blow onto her. The staff would know it too and would shut off business and, thus, any attempt to shelter her in. Judging by the bartender's attitude, there was little she could do.

She could also try and seek temporary asylum from within the nearby slave quarters, sure that someone could take her in and keep her comfy until the storm wore off. That thought was quickly shattered as Blake reminded herself not to take advantage of those who were already suffering from the chains of slavery.

With that in mind, maybe it would be here where she could begin her crusade to help people; free the slaves and set them free where the Hutts would never find them. Unfortunately, that would also leave her exposed to the crime lords. She remembered that the Hutts had some connection to the White Fang, and any attempt to oppose them could send a signal to the organization of her whereabouts.

Begrudgingly side-lining her need to aid for now, she decided to look for other ways to keep herself safe from an irritating sandstorm. Looking here and there, restless for a safe place to refresh herself before she would be caught up in the blistering storm. Passers-by were abundant in the city, but it seemed no one would give any attention to Blake, nor could she afford to bring in attention to herself.

But, as Blake would find out herself, attention in a Tatooine city, let alone Mos Espa, is never earned by intention. It is forced; one way another, you don't find attention. It finds you… always…

"Hey." Blake's skin shrilled with cringe. When she heard the voice of an upbeat male, she turned around to see only a passing group of merchants, who didn't seem to be the ones who called out to her. After looking around, she finally caught sight of the person who called out to her.

Up above the roof of a small dwelling, the sight of a man sitting at the very edge, leaning his body to the front while locking his eyes onto her. Blake could already tell that he was just at home, what with his rather open choice of clothing and ragged hairstyle. The blonde man had a simple white, long-sleeved undercoat, strapped with a brown vest and rugged pants, but the shirt had been unbuttoned all the way, leaving his bare chest and abs exposed.

But what stood out to her the most was the long, swaying membrane sticking out from behind him. Furry and flexible, waving about like a serpent slithering to the beat of a flute, it was clear to Blake that the man she was facing was not just any man…

He was a Faunus, just like her. A monkey Faunus, to be exact.

Regardless of the surprise encounter of another of her kind, Blake did not express any emotion of his presence, almost irritated over the intrusion of her space.

To her own admission, however, since chances of seeing a Faunus in this part of the galaxy, let alone a free one, would be far and few between, it almost spooked her to find this one, seemingly stalking her. She couldn't help but feel panicked of the possibility of him being part of the White Fang.

Then again, if he was part of the brotherhood, then he wouldn't hesitate to wipe her out. instead, he just started some sort of harmless contact, which was also a little too close for Blake's comfort. So, no elation or fear came to her… Just pure annoyance over the presence of a shady busybody.

"What do you want?" growled Blake. The boy just chuckled, standing up and balancing himself up on the very edge of the rood.

"Couldn't help but notice…" The man dropped down from the awning, with his monkey tail releasing self from the metal support and met with Blake down on the sandy ground. "…the little mess you made there." His thumb pointed at the direction of the pub, confirming that he was snooping around while Blake wrestled those hustlers down. Great, Blake cursed within herself; she had pledge to herself that she would maintain a low profile, to avoid contact with any shadowy being or organization, to hide herself away from her old comrades or risk being hunted by them.

Still, Blake refused to give him any credence to his 'amazing' stalking abilities. She had better things to donate attention to… which was nothing, really. But she supposed doing nothing was better than standing around with some thug in the streets. And so, she decided to continue walking, brushing past the monkey Faunus without wasting any time on him.

"Hey! Why the quiet treatment?" the man exasperatedly shouted. "Don't you want to get to know me?"

"I've got no time for street rats." Blake coldly snapped, continuing to step forward without a single glance back. It seemed like her lack of emotion would trigger a barrier of communication between the two. Pretty sure he had the message that

Nope. Not in this guy's watch…

"Street rat?" The man was left speechless over the title given. A smirk was seen on his face, intrigue written on it. "That's a new one."

But Blake couldn't have the time to delve into making bonds with others. All of the bonds she made before were now shattered, broken by misguidance into following a man who desired violence to see his ways through. A man she once thought was infallible…

Ignoring the Faunus boy, she pressed on, not bothering to worry about him following her anyway. His presence was meaningless to her, coming off as nothing more than a common someone, irrelevant to her unless he was willing to contribute to her own missions. From the looks of his happy-go-lucky attitude, he probably would be stalling her more than helping.

So, Blake moved on, searching for a temporary place to make herself comfortable in before her ship could be refuelled. It wouldn't be long until the next sandstorm, as her cat ears started to tinge and her Faunus senses sparking with alarm. It didn't matter if the storm came or not; she'd just head over as fast as she could and leave the planet and pursue her next course of action, whatever it might be.

Soon, she decided to sit down at a quieter, safer place to wait out the process. Somewhere where she couldn't be bothered by anyone, but close enough to reach her ship on her allotted time.

In the middle of her search, she came across a narrow alleyway, just in between two blocks of houses, where she could see a small restaurant on the other side. However, in her way, once again, trouble was not too far ahead.

Just as she was about to step in, she could see four men, leaning on both sides of the alley, positioned with loose bodies and relaxed limbs, either crossed together or put in their pockets. At once, when Blake walked into the shadowy place, one of the men, a Devaronian, hissed at her, warning her not to come any closer. The rest, a Quarren and two other humans, had their fists clenched up while of the humans threw what looked like a bottle cap or coin and shifted his body towards the Faunus.

Despite her identity being sealed within her bandana, Blake was still sure that she was being threatened. However, she needed to pass through this ally, for the longer way would lead her to a crowded square, packed with traffic due to people rushing to take cover from the storm. The faster she went, the better. She wasn't the one in the way; those thugs were…

"You shouldn't be walking there." Suddenly, the same annoying voice of the monkey Faunus alerted her, slightly prompting her to growl. The man was again on top of the building on her left, crouched down the same way he was earlier. "I heard they had a little scuffle with a local junk dealer yesterday, and they were going to finish the job. So, don't expect a warm reception."

Four angry punks out for trouble, ready to attack anyone who came within their range… Yet, Blake decided to ignore the danger and walked forward, dismissing the warnings of the other Faunus boy. She knew she was outnumbered; four to one, counting out the monkey boy from her side.

The odds didn't matter to her. She was always taught to never evaluate her chances of winning by counting the number of enemies in a battle. All that mattered was herself, whether she had the will to hunt, the determination to see her ways done and the one tool to use and win. Needless to say, she had everything she needed, minus Gambol Shroud, which she decided to keep sheathed to avoid an attractive bloodbath.

Right there, as she came up to the crooks, they made their warnings clear, turning their bodies toward her, threatening her to reconsider her approach. Blake, however, refused to heed. She was undeterred by their presence, preparing herself for the right moment to strike.

"Get lost." the Devaronian growled.

"I'm just on my way to the other side." explained Blake, trying to be as passive as possible in the hopes that they would be civil enough to let her through without a fight. "I mean no harm." As she would expect from a bunch of free-spirited men in a dark alley, they didn't listen. Then, the rest of the group walked towards the Faunus stranger, eyeing her dangerously as they made their threat known to her.

"Who do you think you are?" the human laughed. Blake refused to flinch even once. She had already dealt with grunts with worse attitudes than these guys, so they weren't much of a force to be reckoned with. After their attempt to chase her off, they scowled when she just stood in place; her feet not even dragging the other way. Her eyes, most of all, were gleaming like the brightest star of a system, burning with glaring power. It was all an invitation to a nasty brawl between two troublemakers.

"Frisk her, boys." The Devaronian snapped his fingers and signalled his men to start moving towards her. They circled the lone Faunus, dangerously eyeing her from all angles with their fists primed for a rough lesson. Blake just stayed as still as a rock, untouched and undisturbed as her demeanour. Her stance seemed to be unmoved, but deep inside, her instincts were kicking in again, driving her intentions to fight back. She had to resist the urge to act first, staying patient until the thugs made the first move.

Just then, when the two fellow men tried to grab hold of her, she let go of her restraints acting on her body and let it all out.

 **WHACK!**

She spun her body around and swiftly struck the two men with her leg to their faces, knocking them down in one blow. As she landed back down, she caught the other two completely by surprise as they stepped back in utter shock. With two thugs on the ground, she waited to see if they would have their turn at her or if they would run off and never to mess with her again.

She was forced to accept the former when they both came back at her, hands out to grab hold of her. When the man on the left tried to punch her in the face, she quickly blocked him with the sturdy force of her arm and grabbed his own arm with her other hand. At the same time, the other attacker tried to punch her too, but even with both of her hands tied, she ducked her body downwards and countered back with a kick to the chest. She then wrestled her way through and threw the trapped man to the wall next to her, knocking him in the head and tumbling him down on the ground.

Blake's covered cat ears then twitched, sensing a silent graining noise of sand coming from behind her. The ruffians she took out first were able to stand back up and were now viciously staring at her, daggers now in place of their raw fists. Street trash armed with sharp blades in a dark alley? Nothing compared to countless other threats out there in the galaxy. Threats that only made her stronger as a fighter. So, these fools were only child's play, easily no match against anything else she faced before.

Blake then pulled out her primary asset. The broad, thin blade of Gambol Shroud slid off its holster with a sharp 'shink'. The sliver and dark grey blade shined beneath the binary suns, despite the dents and scratches taken from battles prior.

The deadly weapon seemed to do little in discouraging the rats from cowering away. Blake didn't care; it was their loss if there was to be some bloodshed. Not too fatal, of course, but if they had to be dealt with, then let there be a painful reminder of their pitiful ways.

Once they raised their daggers up, Blake swung her weapon out front to meet the swooping blows and held them up with surprising strength. The blades locked for a few seconds before she shifted back from the doubled force acting upon her. Flipping back, she jumped over the two other fiends she just knocked out before and landed behind them, making sure that all four were in view.

Now, the four thugs were back up and were now fidgeting for a painful revenge against Blake for defying their grip in this turf. Soon enough, they ran for her with the combined force of a reek stampede, blades all sharpened to kill. Blake didn't need to think about her options; the moment they attacked her, they were already in for a tough beating.

She ran right for the middle, dodging every single strike or blow they tried to inflict and sliding in the centre of the group. Catching them by surprise, she hoped to disorientate their synchronization, if there was any. Surely enough, one thug tried to start the attack without the others' input. That caused a second man to make his move almost too soon. Blake quickly spotted the opening and jumped towards the first attacker, grabbing his head to jump over him and kick down the second guy. As she finished, the two other gangsters moved in to attack while she was still recovering from the evasion. Much to their chagrin, the Faunus was not entirely vulnerable as she then swung her blade out and knocked their weapons out of the hands of the first two men. While their daggers flew away, Blake went in to finish them off by wrestling the left attacker down with a leg lock, squeezing the man by the neck with her legs. After a brief but tight grip, she managed to knock the gangster unconscious before letting him go. The rest of the gang kept striking at her with their blind and angry slashes, doing nothing but giving her all the openings she needed to find their weak points.

At once, Blake pulled off a series of punches and throws, grabbing each thug by the arm before slinging them one by one. If one got back up, she made sure to kick them out of order, putting them all out until, finally, the four thugs were unable to fight anymore.

Blake had one more kick to the face of the Devaronian, taking a deep breath of air after the brief showdown, ignoring bits of coarse dust grating her throat. Huffing and puffing, exhausted after a fight underneath the scorching suns, she looked at the fallen bodies of the men who attempted to assault. She noticed them squirming in pain, groaning and moaning out from the multiple injuries they took. But more importantly, they were all still breathing, so Blake could relax with the fact they she had fought in defence of herself.

After the rough beating, she picked herself up, dusting off the sand stuck on her clothes before moving towards the next café, hoping that her fight hadn't caused too much of a scene. Defence was to be the best offense, she hoped that would be the best excuse for acting out. Unfortunately, she failed to realize that trouble in a Tatooine city was just too frequent to be ignored.

The moment she stepped in, the tenor of the building immediately shut the door at her face, stopping Blake at the doorstep. Stunned, but totally not surprised, her frustration mounted. Once again, just for being part of a scuffle that she had no intention of being part of, let alone starting, she was shut out, simple as that. There was nothing she could do, she thought. She was just going to have to find a better place to wait out the storm; somewhere less hostile and less crowded with trouble.

"Well, that's not good…" Again, the annoying voice of that monkey brat made her body shrill with irritation, worse than that of the sand and heat. The punk had to be on top of a building, leaning himself against a domed roof to make fun of her misfortunes. Blake really had no time to waste on such uninteresting lowlifes. "I can only imagine the whole city shutting you out after a third one."

"I thought I told you to leave me alone." groaned Blake quietly.

"You didn't **tell** me anything." laughed the boy, still as snarky as he could be.

"I don't have to tell you what to do." cleared Blake, having her patience already thinned to the fullest. Her voice was slowly filling up with venom as to put pressure on her word. "So, if you want me to say it to your face, then take my warning. Leave me alone." Once she had made her point, she strode away and left the boy without another word.

Unfortunately, the boy seemed undeterred by the stern warning, scratching the back of his head as he looked on and watched her disappear into the thickness of the Mos Espa crowd.

"Sheesh. Rough gal, ain't she?"

* * *

In the meantime, Blake was well out of harm's way, at least for now, though she knew it wouldn't be long before trouble found her again. Now, she had to suck it up and go through the busy streets of the city and find another quiet place to relax and await the storm.

Her trek eventually led her to the crowded Mos Espa Marketplace, a common area of business, surrounded with market stalls and hovels, opened with all sorts of decent Tatooine delights and goods imported from as far as the Mid Rim. The place was packed with buyers as always, gathering groceries, ranging from the common gorgs to the rare fabrics that shined with bright and beautiful colours; a stark contrast to the rigid atmosphere of the sandy desert.

Blake surveyed the goods being sold, not listening to the multiple vendors' tries of bringing her in to purchase them. She kept her course straight and ignored everyone around her, especially the sight of a dirty Toydarian working at a junkyard, resting his weakened legs on a downed pit droid.

Her mind was set on finding a good place to sit down and enjoy a good read of an old book that she was able to salvage from a local antique collector. These days, even finding a physical book in this galaxy was like finding a needle in a haystack. She always revelled in the ancient tales of conflict and harrowing adventures of romance and freedom, to read them as untampered records of the given events. The only way anyone could try and erase or edit stories in such primary data keeping was to destroy them, and as long as her books were in her hands, no one was going to take them away from her.

Then, she heard a sudden squeal from her left. Turning her head to that location, she found a little boy down on the ground, stumbled in front of a fruit stall. At the helm, an angry Ithorian, buzzing with his communicator stuck to his neck, yelled at the weeping child, pointing his suctioned fingers at him.

"Get out of there, you thief! How dare you try and steal from me?!" he roared as the translator shot out his anger in Basic. The boy got back up and ran away from the vendor, crying all the way. Blake felt her ears droop beneath her bandana, feeling sorry for the boy and sensing the hunger that drove him to take the vendor's fruits. Looking back at the Ithorian, she walked over to the stall and decided to help out, with the boy reminding her of the little kid who helped her on Dantooine.

She fished out a few credits from her pocket and put them onto the counter, intending to buy a fresh fruit from the stall. Ignoring the grumpy gaze of the Ithorian, she picked out the dimply fruit with a gradation of yellow and purple running along the skin. Blake was about grab one of the meiloorun fruits in the box, but she was quickly stopped when she saw her credits being dragged towards her within the Ithorian's sucky fingers.

"Sorry, lady, but I don't accept your credits. Business purposes. Sorry." Blake repulsed at the excuse he gave her. Clearly, he was only making a feeble excuse to dismiss any help for the boy. To make it even more pathetic, his apology didn't sound like one at all, with that hint of sarcasm that she couldn't stand.

Not wanting to cause another scuffle and attract attention, Blake snatched up the credits and left, not saying another word. She sighed; the boy's plight reminding her of how Faunus and other unfortunate beings in the galaxy were mistreated by those who consider themselves larger than others. She really wanted to help him, just like so many others, so she decided to go and find another place to buy something edible; hopefully, not somewhere where the boy had built a reputation upon himself.

Then, she was quickly stopped again. Once more, the petty monkey boy showed up right in front of her. She wanted to groan and tell him to bug off, but he tossed up something in his hand that she noticed. It was a fresh meiloorun, like the one she tried to buy. The boy leaned his back against a tall moisture vaporator, eyeing his prize, but Blake felt that he was trying to impress her somehow.

"If you're trying to get something, you could have just asked." gloated the boy. But Blake didn't have time, again, for him. Immediately, she came up to him. For a while, the boy thought he had finally got her attention, getting up from the vaporator to try and establish contact. His hopes were dashed, just as his meiloorun was snatched from his hand by Blake, who then remained silent and turned around, heading for the little kid. Flabbergasted, the monkey teen threw his arms in bafflement. "Oh, come on! That was a good meiloorun!"

Blake swore she needed some form of 'dork repellent' to keep such brats like him away from her. For now, all that mattered was that she had her fruit and she was about to let it be the kid's fruit. She walked to where the kid ran into, pass under an arch that led into an open area, surrounded by hovels all around. Within the pileups of junk and scrap metals, coupled with leftover sacks and crates of discarded trash, with a few pests scurrying here and there, Blake had to find a sobbing boy amongst the piles.

Apparently, it wasn't hard to find one. All Blake had to do was pull off her bandana from her head and let her cat ears loose. She knew the place was secluded enough to avoid attention upon herself, so there was much more space to let herself go and use her ears to the fullest. And immediately, a second after listening out for her surroundings, she picked up a signal. Soft sniffling, faint sobs and a pinch of sadness aching at her heart, Blake turned to a torn-up awning behind her, hearing the crying coming from that area.

She made her way to the awning and checked the sounds out. To her relief, she found the same boy, curled up and shielding himself within the shade. When Blake came to him, he turned around, only to jump in fear as this tall woman, dressed with such deadly-looking fashion that he immediately suspected her as another street thief.

Even if she knew this, Blake still stayed, leaving the boy still moping in stunned silence. To his amazement, however, the big girl just gave him a sad, warm smile before taking out the fresh meiloorun she 'took from the vendor'. The boy gleamed his black eyes on the fruit in her hand, unsure of what she wanted him to do with it.

Then, Blake crouched down to his level, handing out the fruit with a warm, welcoming gaze. Her true feelings swam through and let the kid know she meant no harm. Slowly, he reached out and took the fruit, slightly hesitating in the middle before, finally, he took hold of it and held it tightly. A big smile crept up his face as he stared delightedly into the tender-looking fruit that was on his very hands. He laughed with joy as he thanked Blake with a nod before running off to enjoy his new treat.

Blake watched the kid disappear into the slums, hoping he would be able to enjoy something out of this desolate wasteland of wretched thievery and cruelty. A light would be there to shield the innocent from the clouds of darkness, as quoted from a story she read about tales of mystical warriors of old.

"Awwww. Ain't that sweet?" Just her luck, she thought. And at the worst time, too. By the time that brat arrived, she was too late to hide the one feature that would blow her cover. And now, she was forced to hear the irritating chuckles of the monkey boy, who jumped down from the building next to Blake before making that face again; the face that told her he wanted her attention. It was a sight Blake appalled, especially from a lowlife. "I knew you'd look better without that rag on your head."

Groaning with impatience, Blake pushed the man off and tried to escape his busybody attitude. The last thing she needed was to have someone poke fun at her for who she was, even if it was from another Faunus.

"What? It was a compliment." The boy didn't really get the picture, as he continued to follow the wandering girl into the city. He tried to get in front and communicate with her, but all his attempts were for naught. Blake kept walking away, quickly tying her bandana and hiding her ears again, all while thinking of a way to get that miserable runt away from her.

"Hey, hey, hey. Let's just talk this out, alright?" He kept pursuing her, trying to get her to talk. Regardless of his efforts, Blake refused to listen and kept a straight path towards her next potential shelter. "Come on. A Faunus gal like you and a Faunus guy like me? Chit-chat between fellow kin?" She really wanted to reach her hand out and choke the life out of this nuisance, but she resisted the urge, not wanting to cause more havoc and be a danger to the whole city.

"Trust me, babe." the boy continued to speak, boasting further. "Without me, you won't go far. It's no Mos Eisley, but Espa's kind of a tough place to be in."

"I've been through worse." growled Blake, impatience building up in her blood.

By then, in the middle of her search for a place to rest, a sudden graining feeling ran through her skin, driving her instincts to sense for a disturbance in the air around her. The tiny bits of pebble and sand were scratching against her bare arms and face, with a small breeze brushing with them. Her ears were fidgeting inside, confirming her worries of the day. The storm was coming and, to Blake's distaste, sooner than she liked. She was running out of time and, unlike the folk in this city, she was unsure of where to go next to wait out the storm. Her frustration mounted with very few options to go by, and was about to get even worse when one person couldn't shut up…

"You know; I happen to know a good place from where we can hide from the sandstorm. So, you've got no other choice but to follow me."

"How many times must I tell you?" Blake spun to face the man with her glowing yellow eyes, fury taking over as the irises shrunk thin. The man backed up when she stomped her way towards him, eager to tell him to bug off before she would do something she wouldn't regret. "I do not need to tell you. I do not need to show you. All you have to do to make me the least bit decent is that you… Leave. Me. Alone!"

By the time she was about done pressing herself to vent out, the worst came. All of a sudden, a large burst of sand kicked in, blowing away at her hair with sand pelleting her from behind. At that point, the people began to scurry off into their homes as if an emergency alarm rang out.

The storm was already here, all while Blake was too bewildered to take the precautions. Looking around, she was already seeing how fast it was building up, with the sandy floor below her already fading into the cloud of blinding dust.

With the storm kicking in, Blake had nowhere to go. All there was in front of her was a bratty, nosy smug-faced know-it-all who couldn't stop bothering her, driving her to her breaking point.

Worst of all, he was her only chance to getting somewhere…

"Where to?" she groaned, defeated.

* * *

The storm was already brewing outside, keeping everyone indoors as much as it could.

For one small-time mob boss in the slums of Mos Espa, being stuck in a sandstorm meant getting things less done than they already were. There was nothing he could do but stay tucked in his shabby den, underneath an abandoned slave hovel. The room that was once a basement was now his own headquarters, filled with nothing more than a desk at the corner of the room, opposite the brick staircase that led upward to the surface. A flat rug made out of a skinned dune cat laid on the ground, just below the man's feet, as dead a husk as the building above. Heaps of electronics and other pieces of junk laid around the desk and side tables, waiting to be dealt out to the scrap dealers above.

With the power generator and signal beacon outside the den, the darkened room became even dimmer with the storm blocking out transmissions from above. Much to his distress, the mob boss was having a difficult time reading through the network of underground marketing operations throughout the city and beyond, smacking the side of his datapad in a dastard attempt to improve its connection. It proved to be of little use, as beating it did not speed up his link, let alone the fact that the holographic screen was also flickering from the damage caused by his rambunctious sense of impatience.

The plump human being, with a pair of desert goggles covering his eyes, continued to remain at a stage of unrest as he struggled to keep his cool within the duration of the sandstorm above. He scrolled his datapad helplessly to retrieve whatever data he could before his next move to gain some cold-hard cash. These days, a good sale was the only way he could be satisfied, and if he couldn't make a deal, well… You'd have to deal with a painful dose of forced payment to make him happy.

Just then, with the sudden whoosh of the entrance door, the gruff man growled at the sudden shining of sunlight, which was followed the howling blasts of sand bursting into his room and blowing everything inside. The eventual arrival of four idiotic servants of his soon caused the man to yell out in anger, cursing at them to close the freakin' door.

"Hey! You useless sacks of womp-rat gunk!" he roared. "Close the damn door!" At once, the men hurried to shut the door, ceasing the blasting storm from entering the room. In response, the boss threw his empty mug at one of them, a Devaronian who had his head plunked by the incoming metal object and sending him down on the floor.

"Sorry, boss." panted one of the other human lackeys, panicked by the usual temper tantrum their boss was always throwing at them. "We had some trouble."

The boss then grabbed hold of a metal rod, one taken from a downed ship earlier, and gripped as hard as he could. He pressed onto the very thick circumference of the rod until, incredibly to his men, it bent to his iron will, almost impossibly and violently contorting down towards the desk. At the angry stare and gritting of his teeth, the boss growled with a low, threatening pitch, eager to hear from his junkies of the trouble that had apparently halted his current mission to earn more riches.

"What kind of trouble…?"

* * *

Saying that sandstorms were a dime a dozen on Tatooine was too small of a description…

A far cry from what Tatooine once was; a tropical planet teeming with all sorts of flora and fauna, flooded with oceans and green patches of land, until a catalytic event changed all of that, drying up all of life and turning the planet into the desolate sand ball known to this day.

That was a tale Blake once read, and like so many fables, she found it hard to believe that a planet Tatooine would ever be a lush world with the greatest nature had to offer. Now, she was faced with the worst of the worst; a blistering sandstorm that was forcing her to wait in a downtown café, far from her ship in the docking bay.

Thanks to the shrouding storm outside, the café was packed with a few more people hiding from the sandy gusts. Fortunately, Blake was able to score a table where she could rest and peacefully wait for the storm. That is; if anyone wasn't bothered to mess with her again…

She sat down, blocking out the usual mumbling of the people inside and reading up the old book she brought with her; a tale of war and conflict between ideals between two powering worlds as they fought to determine their place in the ancient galaxy.

But she wasn't going to enjoy the peace for long… Forget the surrounding noises from the packed café, there was one other person who she did not want to hang around with, but had no choice but to accept his help.

Out at the bar table, leaning so casually against the curved surface, the monkey Faunus brat who led her to the café waited for a serving of two drinks that he was generous enough to buy for her. It still hadn't softened the aching reality that Blake had to owe him a bit of small talk to repay him for his help. She didn't really have a choice to back away either, as telling him to shut up wasn't going to work, nor could she escape the café and get swept up in the choking storm.

The boy was waiting for his order, and it came quite quickly, with two silver mugs of a blue liquid drink in both of them. He flipped a golden chip to pay for the drinks and the Gran bartender accepted the payment before the two cups were taken away. The monkey Faunus walked to the table where Blake was seated at, laying down the drinks onto the dusty table.

"There you go!" he cheered, sitting at the other end of the table. "One fresh cup of blue milk."

Blake stopped reading for a while and grabbed the drink and sipped it up. After she devoured it, she suddenly repulsed and spat the drink down on the floor, caught off guard by the revolting taste of the drink. She wasn't prepared for the pungent filth that plagued her drink, feeling the icky taste squirming all over her tongue.

"You said this was fresh." she hissed, her voice as sour as the drink itself.

"What?" The boy just shrugged his shoulders, dismissing any wrong he had done. "I didn't say it was **good**." Shaking her head, Blake decided to lay off the sour milk and get back to the topic at hand, whether she liked it or not.

"Now, can we have that little talk?" The boy sat himself down to finally get some conversation going with Blake, resting his back and his arms against the back of the chair.

"So, what do you want to know?" sighed Blake.

"First things first; I believe introductions are in order." The man was about to finally introduce himself, but all of a sudden, Blake cut him off.

"Your name is Sun Wukong." In a state of surprise, the boy named Sun nearly tipped himself off his seat after Blake knew his name.

"Whoa! Are you like a Jedi or something?! How did you know?" He threw himself in a fit of loud, amazed yells that annoyed Blake. To answer his question, though, she just pulled out what looked like a sheet of paper that was rolled up in her pocket.

On it was his face, smiling as cockily as he was when Blake first had the misfortune of seeing him, in front of the usual board of size chart that accompanied all mugshots. Below the picture were the details Blake read and studied, but the biggest, most incriminating piece of information that gave her a good reason to stay away from him. The number '4000' right next to the symbol of the galactic credit.

A simple 'Wanted' poster that painted Sun Wukong as a target with a price on his head; one that Blake found stuck outside a hovel.

"Oh…" Sun shamefully retorted at the sight of his goofy face plastered so obviously on the poster that Blake had to wonder why no one seemed to even notice his apparent notoriety. He rubbed the back of his head, chuckling sheepishly.

"You're a wanted man, huh?" Finally, Blake began to soften up a bit, at least glad to see that he could be humble when given enough pressure and effort on humiliation. She supposed she could open up to him and let him have a bit of time with her, if it meant leaving her alone afterwards. "Four thousand credits on your head?"

"Some big shot mansion owner back on Corellia thought I stole a diamond of his." Sun explained with a gloating tone, like he had clean hands to prove his innocence. Blake, however, wasn't so convinced. Just how easy was it to see through an amateur's façade, she would never know…

"You really did steal it, didn't you?"

"It was a rare Nubian amethyst! Can you imagine the amount of money I could get from selling that?" defended Sun. Such beautiful jewellery could mean big credit earnings that could last a decade, given the right amount to spend at a time. No one could even dream of getting such a beautiful gem like that, and if sold to the right man or woman, imagine the motherlode of credits that could be earned from one meagre amethyst.

With the cat out of the bag (pun not intended), Blake continued to question Sun's morals and the consequences of his actions.

"And yet, he placed four thousand?"

"Hey. When the rich want something done right, they prefer to not get their hands dirty." shrugged Sun, still a little uncomfortable.

"And I take it you do this much more than you're willing to tell me now?"

"I steal from the rich, give them to the poor." boasted Sun, but Blake noticed the little smirk that gave off a very brief hint of mischief. "And by 'poor', I mean some other big shots who could use a little help with their climbs to glory."

"That means you sold many other prized possessions to other lowlifes and earned a pay from each and every one of them." deduced Blake.

"You're on the money there." Sun winked, ignoring the part where Blake specifically hinted at him being one of those 'lowlifes'.

"A thief for hire?"

"I prefer 'conniving venture capitalist'." Blake shook her head at how dubious Sun was defending his schemes. But she didn't really care; once the storm was over, he would be out of her hair, forced to accept the terms that she'd be left alone after wasting some time with him. For now, she had to endure more of his unwanted curiosity and questions, secretly hoping that the clearing of the storm would come sooner.

"So, you know my name. It's only fair I know yours." And one of the questions she wished to be asked of just had to come out from his mouth. It was an issue that she did not need to leave clues behind, lest Sun was the least familiar with the many people who would be after her. If he went snooping around for her past, then he would be leading the White Fang right to her.

Some part of her told that she would know better than to distrust this amateur thief. He was too free-spirited and loved to dilly-dally around to care about the fall of the White Fang. Then again, she wasn't too sure if he would be willing to seek the chance to collaborate should the advantage be his. After all, he colluded with some unwelcome people here and there, so what could she know about this guy?

"You don't need to know everything." Blake told with her arms crossed, not wanting to tip the scale of what constituted her secrecy, not risking to blow it all so the White Fang could come over and eliminate her.

But unbeknownst to her, Sun Wukong was not entirely willing to let it go. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who had a reason to be wary, even if he didn't look the part of the free-going thief. He leaned forward to ask Blake a question he felt he needed to throw at her, catching her completely by surprise.

"Well, then at least tell me this." he began, mood now changed to a more careful tone. "Why are you here? Because for a moment there, I thought you were some bounty hunter after my head. So, at least convince me that you're not someone who's come to deliver me to the authorities for a bit of cash."

Blake had to give him credit; at least he was aware of the severity of being a marked target. Fine, she thought. Perhaps she could sugar-coat her way through the conversation and be done with it.

"I was just travelling." she answered. "Off to see other worlds far from home." The lie was all Blake needed to convince Sun that he was in safe hands, for the moment, anyway.

"And you ended up here on Tatooine of all places?" Sun asked again, going back to his more cheerful side. Blake admitted that her choice of docking her ship in a corrupted place like Mos Espa wasn't the best idea either, but she really had no choice; everywhere else in the same part of the galaxy was vile and filled with an absolute mess of political muck and waves of criminal activity. Tatooine just happened to be the lesser of the few evils that Blake knew of, safe enough to avoid attention, where even the Hutts couldn't take control of everything in this world.

"Better than where I was the last time." she commented.

"So, where do you come from, anyway?" Again, Sun was choosing to delve into unwanted territory, causing Blake to drive her pressure back to him. It seemed that every time Sun would ask such deep questions, she would have to remind him that she wasn't willing to expose the more dangerous questions.

"Why do you care?" Her voice shrunk to a lowly, grave flavour, sending a warning to Sun that he shouldn't be too curious of her.

"Come on. Can't you at least answer this simple question?" groaned Sun.

"Sometimes, simple questions can lead to complicated answers." Blake added with equal strain. "And some complicated answers are not worth asking for. So, don't push it."

Sun definitely got the warning and decided to step back, pushing his arms out to let her know he understood. He sat back, sand-filled soles on the table and took a gulp of the milk he bought. Blake couldn't help but wince looking at him drinking the same sour drink she had the displeasure of trying herself.

To distract herself from the disgusting display of crude manners and pass the time, Blake decided to pull out the antique novel she bought and began reading it, beginning the first chapter of the story of two warring capitals of the galaxy. But just as she was about to reach the first chapter, past the prologue, Sun quickly poked at her again, shooting her patience dead again.

"What'cha reading?" Then, all of a sudden, Sun yanked the old book away from her grasps, aggravating the runaway Faunus after being robbed of another epic tale by the boy. Sun took a look at the cover of the book, rotating it here and there with carelessness. "Tales of the Alsakan Wars?"

"Give it back, Wukong." growled Blake, almost holding herself from pouncing forward to take the book back. She strained herself, tensing up the muscles inside of her and easing her frustration at the sudden action, telling herself not to exert unnecessary force when she was already within the safety of the café.

"I can see you're a bookworm." Sun laughed, throwing the book uncourteously towards Blake, expecting her to catch it. She managed to grab the novel and returned it into her hands, but that didn't expel the annoyance she had to face. "Seriously, haven't you heard of datapads?"

No matter how far technology has come, there was no guarantee they would actually help make records accurate. The more advanced datapads got, the easier it would be to manipulate the data. To Blake, ancient books are the easier option, and the many she got before were rare and lucky grabs from across the galaxy, taken during whatever free time she had during her missions for the White Fang. Those were some of Blake's prized possessions and now, tragically, those books laid abandoned in her former quarters at Concordia, waiting to be burned as any traitor's belongings would be.

"Okay, being the quiet type… Alright." Sun shrunk down to size, dumbfounded of the lack of response the girl was giving him. To be fair, he was expecting a negative reception from someone like Blake, but he was a man willing to take the big risks, especially on heists and thefts. Getting an emo woman to talk was another challenge he wanted to try out, and it was not working as he hoped.

He was just about to try again and ask about the ears beneath her bandana. Why hide those? Why take so much effort in hiding who she was? It was pretty easy to identify Blake as a Faunus, despite her being very similar to other mammalian species across the galaxy, simply because she was also much like a pure human being, only the cat ears giving it away. Yet, she kept hiding herself like she was an abomination of sorts. So why, Sun wondered.

Blake, on the other hand, refused to say anything. She did, however, wish to finally say what she needed him to know and heed.

"Why can't you just stop snooping at other people's businesses and let them be at peace?" she groaned, finally getting to the point and expecting Sun to shut up for good.

"I'm not sure if you're in any position to talk 'bout that stuff." Blake's eyes thinned dangerously at Sun for talking like that. She saw how he basically defied her request for silence and began to act like he knew more than she did, seeing it as an unexpected elevation of mood in his speech, in which she could not identify.

"Come again." But Sun kept up, now looking to tell her of how he felt about her and what she seemed to be as a lone Faunus in the streets of Mos Espa.

"I've known a lot of Faunus before, and when I look into those same eyes, I can tell you're on the run from something." Blake couldn't keep herself perfectly composed for long, surprised that Sun could deduce such a keen feature; a fatal exposition of her identity as a former member of an extremist group.

But she was livid, angered by how eager Sun was about bringing up her apparent struggle to run away. She could not stand for what he tried to tell her, causing her to rise up from her table and stare right into the startled Wukong. She felt that the escapades of a lowly thief like him paled in comparison to what she experienced in times of hatred, violence and murder, forced to relive everything she had done which made her feel agitated.

"You don't understand what I've been through." she said roughly, almost cold to the core that it sent a small shiver down the bones of the monkey Faunus before her. "You never will." Just then, as she made her warning clear, Blake caught sight of the door being opened at the other end of the room, with a few of the patrons looking out.

The city could be seen once again, with only a glimpse of the storm now fading away. All was becoming clear, just in time for Blake to make her move and leave Tatooine for a good long while.

"And as it so happens, the storm is now passing." Blake loosened herself, satisfied that she was finally ready to depart. She got herself up from the table and left Sun to reel from the tense exchange. "Time for me to leave, under no interruptions. Just as you promised." Walking out to the door, she didn't look back at Sun, heading a straight course for the outdoors and back into the quest to make things right.

"Fine, fine." Sun shrugged, disappointed that his little chat didn't go so well. "It's been nice talking to 'ya." He gave off a wave while he sat back and finished up the last of his drink, knowing that Blake would never lay her sights on him again. He stuck his tongue out, facing down on the floor while gagging out the revolting residue left behind by the consumption of his drink, which he had suppressed the urge to spit out during his little encounter with Blake to hide his own disgust.

Ten credits were just not worth a drink of spoilt blue milk…

* * *

Finally, out of the café for almost ten minutes or so, Blake could see the whole town again. Gone was the hazardous sandstorm that plagued her sight of the area, clearing the way for the blue skies to be visible again.

Blake checked the time of the day on her wrist device, anticipating the completion of her ship's refuelling by then. It was already more than an hour since she had travelled the city for stops and shelter from the storm, so her ship had to be ready for the road ahead.

She traversed through the Mos Espa streets yet again, backtracking her way to the docking bay where she landed her transport. She looked through her surroundings as she did so, making sure that no more strangers would tail her and bother her anymore. That was why she had to move faster than normal because this city was probably filled with such people already. She especially hoped that that Sun Wukong would not be close behind, not eager to go through another frenzy of noise from his mouth.

Thankfully, by the time she got to the docking bay, she was left undisturbed to continue into the large, circular building with its wide and hollow interior being shined by the two suns through the open roof that was wide enough to allow a ship the size of a Republic consular ship to enter and exit it.

Within the spacious interior, she had her _Komrk_ transport, still touched down and seemingly undisturbed. A few droids of different types were whirling around, with one maintenance droid detaching a fuselage pipe from the fuel port beneath the ship's hull. When Blake walked over to it, the tall astromech turned its head around and beeped up a few words to let her know that refuelling was finally complete.

While Blake was about to get on board, she then laid her eyes on a rather disturbing sight. A trio of hooded Jawas, brushing their gloved fingers all over the left wing of her ship. Irritated, Blake moved to chase off those nosy scrap collectors before they could take any interest in her ship.

"What are you doing here?" she warned them, alarming them into an instant retreat away from the vessel. As they scurried off out of the bay, she shook her head, revolted by how many of these furry creatures were there in Tatooine, always out to find every bit of electronic or junk they could find from anything, even still operational vehicles. "Scavengers…"

Blake was about to board her ship through the entry lift below the ship, when a sudden shout echoed on.

"Hey, you!" Blake turned her head to find her callers, sighting a couple of scurvy men; one a human, dressed in a ragged trench-coat and face dabbed with two black lines coming down from each eye, and the other, a Gamorrean with nothing more than a tank top, extremely stretched against his plump exterior, revealing the big, bulging green stomach popping out of it.

Blake carefully watched them approach her, immediately sensing a tad bit of hostility oozing from their faces while also taking note of the blasters tucked in their belts. Her right hand waved over close to Gambol Shroud also kept in her holster, just in case any action was needed against these dirty-looking felons.

"What do you guys want?" Blake urged, just as the two men stopped to meet her. She could feel the anger emanating from their bodies, not to mention the awful stench coming from the Gamorrean. Their temper did leave off the same heating pulse of energy that Blake recognized as one of intent for violence, the need to inflict pain. A feeling that was all too familiar to her. As such, if these guys were looking for trouble, she had to be ready for any trouble.

"You have beaten up some of our boys back in the alley, and we want to make sure you pay. Big time." The human was straightforward to the point, bashing his fist into his palm while the Gamorrean snorted in equal fury. Blake was always sure that if someone that angry was flushing out threats toward her, it meant instant action. Based on previous encounters, she had to read their emotions and prepare for action, which was what she was going to do next.

The man in the left reached his arm out to grab her, giving Blake the sign to finally jump into action. At once, she swiped her hand out and caught his wrist. With one strong twist of her body, she threw the man off, flinging him behind and crashing his head into a generator. The hoodlum suffered a concussive blow to the head as his body slumped to the ground in utter pain, feeling like a dent was made on his hammered skull.

Next, the Gamorrean had his go at apprehending the troublemaker, trying to go the usual approach by charging at Blake and attempting to tackle her down. Because of his slow speed, he only became an easy target for her to jump over him and kick him in the back, sending him down to bomb the human attacker with his big, pounding body.

Blake shook her head, not because of how pathetic their attempt in hurting her was, but rather just for adjusting the front strands of her wavy hair tickling her forehead after her flip from the Gamorrean. But the trouble was far from over…

There was no doubt in her mind that if there was ever only one bandit, let alone two, then there was always a pack waiting to charge right in. Blake peered over the docking bay entrance to find four more hooligans running in to finish the job. All of them were armed with the usual weapons of crime; small firearms ready to shoot her down.

Blake wasted no time by standing still and ran for cover. She chose to jump up on her ship, using its hull as her cover as she rested her body down onto the left wing, protected by its main body. The shots began to bounce off the tough steel of her ship, just as Blake was drawing out her own pistol to fight back. Four men were firing at her from below, but Blake didn't stall and immediately returned fire. She was sure that by keeping her pinned, they could sneak up from behind and catch her off guard. No matter how they wanted her; dead or alive, she refused to be anyone's target today. Not anymore.

The yellow bolts of her blaster singed through the block-shaped barrel, zooming towards the men as they took cover as well, behind the walls or any solid obstacle before they resumed their assault.

The firefight raged for another few minutes. Blake kept her back resting against her ship's hull in a seated position, only to rise up to shoot her weapon. Despite her best efforts to incapacitate her enemies, she couldn't get a solid shot on them, blinded by their suppressive fire. Her frustration was slowly getting the best of her, her aim was as sure as the Faunus archers of the Revolution, forged by years of brutal training and missions of espionage and sabotage. Yet, in this predicament, her focus waned, presumably by the state of emotion played on her after being thrown out of her old life. Her patience had been noticeably weakened by the days spent on finding her way that it seemed to affect her performance in battle as well. Back then, she had her comrades to fight alongside with, and even if she went solo, she believed she would have their backup sooner or later. Things have changed since, and now, she was all alone, left to fend for herself without any support.

As the bolts kept panging off the hull, the heat in her body soon channelled up to her cat ears, burning with anger and a need to finish up her fight faster, rather than surely. Slowly, her mind was telling her that there was no time to think and plan; it was more of a flight or fight situation to see through a threat and leave as fast as she could. There was no one to back her up and bail her out. She was all on her own, against a band of fools who fought for the sake of unjust payback.

Another clang of the ship's metal plating and Blake snapped back to fire at them, doing very little to curb their advance. Each shot she fired added up to her distress, making her feel the ire to jump down and take them on straight, putting them out of their place.

But before long, just when she prepared to unsheathe Gambol Shroud from her belt, she heard a few clinks, which was followed up by alarming beeps. To where the sounds stopped, Blake grew panicked by the sight of a metal orb that had a red light blinking on top.

The thermal detonator was about to go off at any second, threatening to blow Blake and her only chance of escaping Tatooine alive. She immediately got up to catch the bomb before it went off and throw it away, risking her life to ensure her ship was safe.

"I got 'ya!" But as she stood and prepared to jump, she felt a powerful rush of energy, catching her around her stomach as if something grabbed hold of her and threw her off the ship. She fell to the ground, well far away from her transport and onto the sandy floor. The impact of the fall pinned her to the ground in a rush of pain, forcing her to not see what or who had thrown her off the ship.

There he was, again, Sun Wukong, standing by her side after he threw her off the ship, seemingly glad he saved her. The monkey Faunus, despite being warned not to follow her, did exactly that, jumping from building to building while eyeing her. When it so happened that Blake would be in trouble, he literally jumped right into the action and spared her from a brutal death.

He thought he would bask in the glory of his epic save, hoping Blake would get up long enough to see who saved her. Unfortunately, it was far from a heroic stunt for the man, as he grew distraught over what had happened.

Seconds later, a blast of powerful explosive force raged, cracking open the metal hull of the ship and tearing apart the wing where the bomb landed, engulfing the ship into a fiery frenzy. The loud booming noise of the blast, echoing violently through the evening, was sure to leave people in a panic, alerting any available authorities to intervene.

While the fires burned brightly within the dimming day, the firefight was still raging, blaster bolts still striking around the two Faunus. To defuse the situation, Sun decided to take the matter to his own hands. Leaving Blake to rest from the fall, he stood back up, reached for his back and grabbed his one and only weapon against a bad crowd.

From the sash he now had, Sun took out what looked like a stack of red and black planks, built with small hinges at its sides, folded into a cuboid. On the opposing corners of the contraption, two cylindrical tubes stuck out. Once he gave each tube a pull, the device suddenly snapped into a long staff-like weapon, with the tubes now becoming blunt ends.

Holding the weapon with both hands and a grin of mischief, Sun spun it around, just to show the bandits that he wasn't going to fool around. He then juggled the staff up once and caught it with a vice grip, ready to dash, bash and smash. His feet kicked up in a sprint, jumping up and spinning towards the four men. In a state of alarm, they tried to fire back, but Sun was already close enough to swing his hard, wooden staff and hit the first attacker he got close to. The force of the staff hitting him on the head was strong and rock-solid, almost sending a major concussion throughout his skull and tumbling him down on the floor.

The rest of the thugs fired their guns again right after, Sun quickly vaulted over and spun his staff like an engine turbine at full speed, blocking up the shots. Like a warrior monk of the planet Nil' Osha, he swerved right through the blaster fire, body bent down and shifting from left to right. By the time the second man was within his sights, Sun threw his staff like a javelin and struck the guy's blaster off his hand. Disarmed, he could do nothing as the Faunus boy kicked him up and knocked him to the ground.

Rolling away and grabbing his staff from the ground, Sun then focused his sights on the final two stragglers, who drew their knives out to even the odds. They both swung their weapons, striking blindly with anger at the boy as he stood still, waiting for them to make their move. He held the long staff above him, stretching his arms from back to front while the two thugs ran for him.

Both struck at the same time, with the same intensity and speed. Big mistake, Sun thought, thrusting his staff upwards, catching both blades together in a lock between weapons. Afterwards, he shifted his hand to the opposite end of the staff and spun it around in a long wave before bringing the final blow to their skulls. The two thugs were thrown off their feet with massive shocks to their heads before crashing down to the ground.

After the hit, Sun twirled his staff around and slammed one end of it strike the ground. With one hand to his hip, he flashed another bright grin, teeth shining out to signify his victory. But from right behind him, one of the thugs who he knocked out earlier recovered and snuck up to Sun while he had his back against him. He raised a dagger from his pocket and prepared to stab him in the back, seemingly out of sight.

But then, he suddenly felt a furry grip around the hand holding the dagger, snaring him like a hunter's trap. To his horror, the long, yellow membrane that was Wukong's tail had caught the man and stopping him in his tracks.

"Ah ah." Sun turned his head, grinning and twiddling his finger before swinging his staff back and finally knocking the guy out again, this time, probably for good. Once the body slammed to the ground, Sun was done with the job, finally putting his staff to rest and folded it back into shape. Putting it behind his back, the boy turned around to catch Blake, who had just gotten back up and dusted herself.

When Blake laid her eyes on the burning wreck of a ship in front of her, she built up this tense storm of anger and disbelief at the sudden destruction of her escape vessel. Just a big chunk of the wing had been torn apart while debris were scattered around, burning in flames that heated the bay around her.

The sounds of footsteps then triggered her head to turn to see the very likely culprit who stopped her from saving the ship, dreading the sight of the Faunus brat who decided to follow her in defiance of her warnings.

"Now look what you've done?!" She pointed viciously at the wreckage. Sun turned over to see the mess he made, well aware that he was responsible for the damage, but not so much so towards the repercussions of said damage.

"Huh. I hope it's well insured." uttered Sun, nonchalantly commenting without considering how Blake could have felt.

"You could have just caught the bomb and save my ship, but you decided to go for me!" yelled Blake. Sun just shrugged his shoulders, dismissing her anger in an attempt to calm her down.

"Hey, come on! I just saved your life! It's nothing much to care about, anyway." urged the boy. In a final burst, Blake stomped her foot, ushering in a fit of impatience she had long suppressed. Calming down was no longer an option; she had to vent it all out to make sure he finally understood the position he was in.

"You don't care about anything, Wukong." she hissed, finally fed up. "That's your biggest problem. So, if you want to help me, then leave me alone." Then, without any words, she stormed right past Sun and proceeded to walk off. With her ship destroyed, she was left with no other option than to look for a new one to find her way through the galaxy.

"So, what are you going to do? Run some more?" Suddenly, Blake stopped, irked to hear Sun speak with an unexpected pang of disappointment. When she turned around, she saw him with his arms crossed, that annoying smirk now turned into a frown.

"What?"

"That seems to be the problem, Blake." Sun retorted as he closed in on Blake, now having his turn at rebuking her for whatever reasons she wasn't aware of. "You always seem to shun people away so quickly, so angrily that it doesn't surprise me that you are trying to escape something." She wanted to say something back, threatened by a shrewd statement that Sun just threw out just so he could prove a point.

But when she wanted to open her mouth, something snapped inside of her. Blake felt a force that stopped her from defending herself, a rush of guilt running up in her heart. It was as if Sun's words had spoken a sense of truth that she did not want to accept. But deep down, she knew what he was talking about. She didn't think he would raise a finger against her, convinced that he would either brush it off, as he did before, or take the warning with great concern and leave her be for good. Instead, he gave her his own warning, making sure that she understood that he, too, had his gripes with her.

"Fine, then." he scoffed. "If you really want me to leave you alone, sure. I'll go." He then faced the other way, walking away from Blake and never wanting to do anymore with her. If this was all she wanted of him, to be shooed away like a pest, then it wasn't worth the effort to get on her good side. Before he left, he did have one last thing to say to her. "But remember this, Blake, if you keep running away from your problems, you won't go anywhere."

After being left with a firm warning, Blake stood firmly in place, watching Sun leap away from the scene and off into the rooftops. Stunned over the sudden telling-off she received, she couldn't believe the level of absurdity Sun threw at her. He had no right to call her out for being cowardly, for she was on her mission to save people from hurting themselves. She was to be anything but cowardly. And yet, somehow, she felt her body tense up from that unwanted feeling of guilt that came from him.

For now, however, Blake had no time to delve into such nonsense. She didn't need someone to tell her what she did was right or wrong, nor did she need anyone's help. It was time to move on and, unfortunately, she had to find a new ship to hitch a ride in or, if she had to resort to extreme measures, hijack one. She didn't one to cause another scene again, but she was going to leave anyway, so by the time someone found their ship gone, they would be too late to stop her.

So, she left the bay, leaving behind the smoking pile of wreckage that was her old ship. She looked back at the smoke as bright lights of fire illuminating the now dimming Tatooine evening into night. Blake was left to remind herself even more of her past being burned away, another part of the White Fang, blown away into nothingness. Perhaps something was done right when Sun foolishly jumped into save the day. However, the damage done was more troublesome than symbolic.

Blake then walked out of the docking bay and into the now emptying Tatooine streets. After the blowout, she wasn't surprised many would run from the danger, more so that the Jawas would find every ample opportunity to find more scraps to sell. Fine, she thought. They can have all the parts they want, for all she cared. That ship was of no use to her, so nothing could be disputed.

As she left, Blake was about to find the next spaceport to find her way out, preparing to leave Mos Espa in search of a new ship to take. But then, as she came out to the open, trouble was about to find her again. All around her, she was met with an encirclement of more unwelcome people, coming out of the shadows to encircle her. The men all had their weapons pointing at her, forcing Blake back against the walls of a hovel behind her. She was about to take out Gambol Shroud to defend herself, when, out of nowhere, she was stunned by a ray of blue energy circles, surging through her and striking her nerves until her conscience snapped out. As her body fell to the ground, Blake couldn't keep her sights in check as her vision blurred, watching the faint image of her attackers slowly disappear as they came closer to her.

"You're done for now, scum!" She could hear the obscure voices of the thugs who stunned her, shouting out their gloats. Before long, after a period of shocking power running through her veins, Blake's mind blanked out, closing her eyes and drifting into a state of comatose.

"What shall we do with her?" asked another thug, unknown to the now-knocked out Blake.

"Take her with us." the lead thug suggested, voice crept with cruel intrigue, before everything went black for Blake. "Torchwick's gonna love it when he finds out what we have for him."

 **TO BE CONTINUED…**

* * *

 **A/N~ So, we finally have Sun in the story. I figured he'd be included early on so I can come up with all sorts of ideas for him to mess around with. Other than that, I intended this chapter to end a bit longer, but I thought of doing something that can interconnect with the next chapter and for that chapter to connect to the next.**

 **Overall, I have a little more for Blake to complete in this arc, so expect it to be done soon. That is all from me, see you and may the Force be with you!**


	24. Between a Rock and a Yang

**A/N~ One thing I didn't seem to notice before was that, when I wrote Ruby's stories, I set them up in different times, meaning the last chapter I've written for her and Kenta are at least weeks from the chapter when the Clone Wars began. But, for Blake, Weiss and Yang's chapters, they are still very close to each other, right at the beginning of the war.**

 **However, I see no problem with this, considering that the Clone Wars TV series had done some episodes out of the chronological order. I just need to make sure that when referencing past events, they must be consistent and not too contradicting.**

 **Reviews:**

 **CT7567Rules**

 **Those familiar faces will arrive soon! Just hold on for a few more chapters before I can bring them in. It's always important that I build up the main characters first before getting to meet up with the SW characters.**

 **BenRG**

 **I know, right? As I have mentioned previously, I wanted Ren to be a full-on Jedi Knight, but given the opportunities for me to learn about the Force, I switched things up for him to be a Guardian, giving me more time and space to study about Force-based beliefs and religions, especially those from Rogue One and the Marvel comics.**

 **And the part about Ruby, I always enjoyed playing with the ideals of the Clone-Wars-era Jedi Order, doing my best to tell about them from her perspective without making it too obvious that the Council had indeed changed their ways from the old traditions. It's a very fun concept in Star Wars and I am really looking forward to what else I can do.**

 **Guest**

 **It's always good to speculate, just take things with a grain of salt, as I still have my own spin on certain parts of the story. But your support is most appreciated**

 **And another big thanks to ayad.t.h, Hinata Sendou, bearred49, lowrex and R3APERX3 for the likes and follows! To all who have read this far, I can't thank EVERYONE enough for the trip ahead!**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: Between a Rock and Yang**

 _ **Spirit or strength… Neither of them can stand alone in the face of a crisis…**_

 _Secrets in the sacred shadows!_

 _While war rages on, the criminal Torchwick Syndicate stages a plan to enrich itself in the face of the galaxy. But an intrusion and theft of their greatest prize had delayed ambitions to exact revenge on one Yang Xiao Long!_

 _After her hard-earned money has been lost to an unknown thief, Xiao Long, along with a new partner in crime, travel to wherever her credits have gone._

* * *

Stealing a ship wasn't really Yang's taste. Unless, if she needed a ship by all means, she needed to steal one from the rather 'morally ambiguous' kind, and someone who was not too linked with the high and mighty. As it so happened, she had taken one just right for her quest to reclaiming her lost credits.

The junker ship wasn't much of a travelling cruise ship. It was just left at an old ship lot that was selling off old, outdated models. Indeed, the one she had taken was not much of a proper, galaxy-traversing vessel, but it had to do for a single trip towards her destination, assuming it could find a ship to dock with before suffering a breakdown midway into travel. She also didn't want to lose the last bit of credits she had left, so stealing it was the only option, requiring a bit of stealth to get away with it. At last, she was able to find the piece of junk she needed to make her way and find her lost credits. Now, she just needed another larger vessel to dock with and, fortunately, she had a way to work it out.

For now, she had been on the pilot's seat, managing the controls as it left the desert world of Cantonica behind her. It's a pretty simple piece of equipment to work with, as Yang had flown other, more complicated models before; ships she would use to help her do her jobs and pull of heists, using whatever storage was available to secure the cargo. This old junker was only a small portion than what she was used to.

The rusty interior of the ship clearly showed its age; scraps of old, brown discarded plating were being torn off and drifting down. Collections of dust were all but frequent in this old, antiquated model, followed by a gassy stench that Yang identified as coming from exposed, broken machinery that was practically coughing up smog. Of course, she was all too used to the smell, having been through much worse, especially the sluggish slime of a Hutt. Speaking of which, she had far better things to worry about right now…

The little kerfuffle she had to go through to escape had left a very bad taste in her mouth, denying her of the money she needed to pay Gorga the Hutt's debt on her. Forget the extra cash she could use to cruise her way through the galaxy; if she wanted to save her hide, she needed the amount given to her by that loathsome clan leader and worry about how to spend the rest later.

Even if she couldn't get the thought of surviving out of her head, Yang did her best to relax. Unfortunately, the constant vibrations across the room, added with the occasional bumps here and there, did very little to curb her stresses. So, she had to withstand the rocky ride for now. With the abundant flotilla of cargo ships coming and going through orbit, it wouldn't be hard to latch onto an unsuspecting freighter and let it jump to hyperspace, hopefully allowing her to get to a close enough world and find another new ship. Or with any luck, she could find a smaller ship and commandeer it, going to the system herself.

Then, she heard a loud yawn that jumped her senses, nearly jumping her off the controls. The ship had an in-built lounge area, complete with its own crescent-shaped bench that hugged around a round table. That space was occupied by a new addition to her quest; a fellow troublemaker she met on that docking bay. The girl, Nora Valkyrie, lazed her back down on the bench, snoozing away for almost half the trip from the planet and to orbit. The mighty electro-kinetic hammer that was just about her size rested against the end of the bench where her head laid down on.

Given the overwhelming amount of energy in her body, Yang didn't really think she would be tired out and napping. She took a quick peek at Nora as the carrot-top laid like a ragdoll on the couch. She stretched her limbs out before rising up with the smack of her lips, groggy eyes flicking with tiredness. She gazed her drowsy eyes on the blonde who was piloting the junker into the emptiness of space.

"Yo. We there yet?" she asked weakly.

"We've just left ten minutes ago…" deadpanned Yang. "How the heck could you be knocked off so quickly? You're literally a walking fortress of power."

"Hey, this girl's gotta rest too, you know." Nora bellowed with a thumb pointing at herself.

"Sure." Yang turned her head back to the scene in front of her, looking around for unsuspecting ships to attach her own to. Nora got up from the couch and walked towards Yang, resting her elbow onto the headrest. "So, any idea how we can find your little thief?"

Yang resisted the urge to crack her knuckles, only resulting to picture the thought of beating the punk, who stole her money, to a flat, messy pulp. All she did was press a button on the controls and activated a star chart on her front interface screen. From the map of stars, a single red dot was blipping on and off, further away from the green dot that was Yang's ship, several centimetres away which meant that the target was close by.

"I had a tracking device installed onto one of the cases." She turned her head to Nora, sneaking a cheeky grin. "You know, just in **case** we find it?" Her smile lingered, only diminishing later when she saw the very neutral reaction from Nora. A sigh left Yang's mouth as another attempt a great pun had failed, turning her attention back to the real issue. "He's not far away." Though, she had to wonder what was taking the target so long to warp out of the system. If he was going to get away with her money, he could have had very well jumped at the very moment he left the gravity well.

Either he was a very terrible escapee or… maybe he was **purposefully** waiting for her, baiting her out to wherever he may lead her.

She shook her head, dismissing the notion that she was being led into a trap. Even if it was, they had no idea who they were messing with. The Yellow Rancor was about to shred anyone who got in her way.

Checking on her radar, she picked up a good amount of signatures of other ships entering and exiting the system. Picking the ones going out, she locked onto one ship that was heading the same direction as her target, based on its trajectory. When she peered over to see what kind of ship it was, she immediately jerked the control yoke to head right for it, smiling at the sight of a large cargo vessel, almost four times the size of her junker, that was just right for hiding. An even bigger stroke of luck still was the logo seen at the side of it, with Yang instantly recognizing it as that of a shipping company that was decently know throughout the Outer Rim. Any ship they made was capable enough to make many trips across hyperspace, so finding a new ride was almost too easy.

"Hang on." After taking a few turns, Yang piloted her ship towards the cargo ship, preparing to deploy the landing hear and lock in place, using its magnetic compressors. She swerved to the very back of the ship, where its navigational sensors wouldn't be able to detect her. Slowly adjusting the junker to rotate around and carefully latch on close to the garbage airlock, the ship rocked up and down upon connecting to the hull.

She then powered down her ship, keeping only the optimum amount for the essentials in case she needed an early departure. After attaching herself onto the ship, all Yang had to do was sit back and wait for her host to jump to hyperspace, signalling for Nora to take to the co-pilot seat and settled herself with the seat belt.

"Better buckle up. Our ride's about to begin." A whirring sound went off on her interface, indicating that the host ship was about to make the jump. Although both girls couldn't face the centre of the entry into the vortex, they could just wait out the next few moments into hyperspace by passing time and doing things within the ship, whatever they may be…

As soon as the starfield around them slowly turned into zooming bits of light that filled the scene, they braced for the tremendous force of the jump before the ship finally disappeared into the vast other world to who knew where they'd end up in…

* * *

Teth

Teth System,

Wild Space,

Fog shrouded the lush jungles of Teth, where towering rock formations shot up like mega stalagmites. A few giant insects fluttered over the large vegetation, looking for another spot to find food amongst the twisted trees, while also attempting to avoid the beastly predators that lurked within the thick of it all.

Of course, that was why the B'omarr monks build their temples atop the rock formations that were tall enough to prevent attacks from most of the ground-bound wildlife, wide enough for them to be built to their full scale. Unfortunately, Teth, like most of the other planets where their monasteries were built in, was also within reach of multiple pirate bands and criminal units, who took the opportunity to ransack the temples and convert the sacred buildings into fortresses to store their goods and make a probable base of defence.

That was going to be a problem for Lie Ren. Predators on the ground and malicious beings at the top, nowhere was safe at all. It came down to choosing which zone was the lesser of the two evils, eventually settling on landing on the ground.

And yet, as soon as he landed, trouble already found him, in the form of a large serpent-like creature that slithered within the bushes before pouncing at him. Surviving the first attack, Ren was now face-to-face with the King Taijitu at the base of the cliff, where the temple he planned to climb up to was located on.

The giant, purple-skinned serpent, four times larger than the young Guardian of the Whills, glided its long, flexible body around him in circular motion, gazing its yellow left eye dangerously at him.

Even if he was surrounded, Ren stood still, unmoving as he concentrated on his opponent. The aggressive power of the mighty beast, fuelled by its hunger for flesh, Ren could feel it. He felt his skin crawl as the creature's fearsome aura seeped into his body, presumably in an attempt to stun him into submission. But Ren knew better than to submit, breathing calmly in and out to lessen the provocation and to pinpoint a weak spot in the seemingly rapid-fast striker of a snake. He knew that one wrong move would end up being his last. Either he would be swallowed up whole or, should he survive being bitten, would still succumb to the Taijitu's lethal poison. But this was a **King** Taijitu, part of a much larger, more dominant species, which venom is said to be powerful enough to kill full-grown **five** rancors.

Despite the deathly odds, Ren kept his calm and concentrated, waiting for the right moment for the serpent to strike first, and letting the Force guide his every move.

Finally, after being surrounded, he felt a sudden strike of energy within his surroundings, opening his eyes before leaping into the air, just as the bulky head of the snake surged right below him. The body behind the head kept racing off while Ren landed and ran after it, hoping to hit it at its most vulnerable. He jumped towards the head in an attempt to hold onto it with his daggers and finish it off with one blow.

Just then, as he reached for it, his senses shocked his nerves, jerking his head behind him to see the Taijitu's tail coming right for him. Unfortunately, Ren was already in mid-air before the sturdy tail whipped him away from attacking it. Thrown off his advance, he flipped around and made a quick but safe landing towards the ground, saving himself from dragging onto the dirt. The hit sustained to his body left a very powerful force of pain to his hip, but the Guardian breathed out the tensing stress onto himself.

After focusing his energy, Ren continued to ignore the pain and watched as the snake prepared to strike again. At once, the serpent dashed forward and tried to bite, but Ren vaulted over the head and made a run around the body to distract it. It soon rose to chase after the speeding monk, following his circular course around itself.

Ren kept sprinting for a few more seconds, waiting for the snake to lunge forward again. Once he felt the aggression surge up, he quickly jumped up in the air, flying just above the head again. Finally, once he was well above the snake's skull, the monk then landed onto the back of the neck and ran a bit more to the top of the head. As he stood above it, the Taijitu began to shake violently, causing Ren to get started with the attack. Before he could be thrown off, he thrusted both of his daggers onto the snake's head, stabbing right into its skull to hang on for dear life. The snake wriggled powerfully in pain as the blades pierced into it, trying to shake Ren off. The Guardian kept his hold on for a good while, doing his best to keep himself on top while draining the Taijitu of its strength.

After withstanding the ride, Ren finally felt the creature wavering, weakened by his hold. He detached one of his daggers and then proceeded to move down and stab the creature in the eye, blinding it and rendering it with even more pain. Finally, after wrestling control, he released his grip on the creature and, with one final push of strength, lunged downwards and stabbed the snake right into the skull, with the full force of his blades cutting in and ending the serpent's life.

The cold-blooded body of the snake began to writhe away, shaking in response to the stabbing before, finally, slowly expiring to the deathly strike of Ren's blades. The creature soon slumped down, with its tail slamming onto the ground and all signs of movement suddenly coming to a halt.

After a hard-fought battle, Ren sliced up his blades, letting the purple blood of the King Taijitu drip down before being cleaned by a rag cloth. He jumped down from the head and walked away from the lifeless corpse of a giant snake without looking back.

As hurtful as it was to kill it, Ren felt that he had to defend himself. The King Taijitu was too dangerous to save once encountered. There had to be only one way to end its violent cycle. Killing it was the choice he made because it was the only way out, no matter how unpleasant it was.

For the light to exist, there must be dark; for the Force, there must be balance…

And so, there he went, leaving the Taijitu's body to expire and feed the natural world with its remains. He soon breathed in and prepared to take the epic climb up the mountains with nothing but his daggers and the will of the Force to guide him further.

The cliffs were tedious to climb, far greater heights than the ones he was used to back in Jedha, where he would regularly scale the cliff walls of the plateau which held the holy city on its top. The very cliffs he climbed now were almost twice the height of the Jedha plateau, made worse so by what looked like battle damage, too large for any pirate attack and on the scale of an actual warlike battle. At certain times of grabbing onto the rock edges, he could feel cold traces that could emerge from machinery, giving him the notion that something huge was crawling up the cliffs; something like a walker.

All thoughts were ignored, his mind set on continuing with his long climb up the tall cliff. Above him, he could see the landing platform that shot out from the cliff edge, indicating the front entrance. That meant that he needed to find another way than just walking in politely to ask for entry. Pirates or any other kind of bandits wouldn't be the nicest house guard to just let you in unharmed. Once he was near enough to reach the top, he planned to go around the monastery and sneak towards the lesser-known openings. He didn't know how well defended the converted fortress was, but he should at least expect to take down some guards while he searched the temple for the relic.

He soon entered the temple through a small, dry sewage system at the very base of the building, somewhere completely unguarded. Eventually he made his way through the corridors, carefully watching out for any guards along the way.

Ren's search for the relic began, ready to locate the artefact within the catacombs of this former temple. He had a pretty good idea where it may had been stored in. The B'omarr monks had secret treasury chambers beneath their temples, where they hid away their personal belongings before the eventual removal of their brains into those crawling arachnoid machines. If there was a very powerful Force relic being kept within a sacred place like this, then it had to be somewhere very important, especially where the thugs could store their cargo and prized possessions.

He quietly went around and searched for the rooms, avoiding the thugs who were guarding the place. Assuming that the treasuries were located below where the B'omarrs would usually throw their possessions away into, Ren made his way down to the lower levels, hoping to find what he was looking for.

It didn't take him long before he found where he was supposed to go. A small chamber beneath the catacombs, with its doors flanked by piles of random objects that Ren considered to be the once prized possessions of the monks. The rusted doors didn't have any locks that held it tight, so all he had to do was press on the panel on the right and open up the doors, revealing the treasury.

What Ren would find in the room would be beyond his expectations. Not only did he find the store room, filled with cargo. But what surprised Ren even more was the presence of what looked like a whole assortment of other things that didn't look right within this ancient chamber.

A desk was situated right in the middle, filled with papers, a light lamp and an exotic plant on a decorated pot. On the left wall, maps were stuck on a board, connected by red lines with holo-photos, forming something of a planning section meant for scheming beings, like a crime syndicate. Truly enough, the most incriminating sign of the whole scene was the banner that draped down behind the desk, complete with the symbol of which organization had taken over the temple. Two glaring eyes over a fanged smile, forming the face of a demon-like entity of mischief. From what he remembered, Ren recognized it as the symbol of the wicked visitor who came to Jedha a few times before.

It was then he knew that the temple had been taken over by none other than Roman Torchwick.

Alarmed, Ren wasted no time in searching for the artefact within the stash of loot that Torchwick may have stored in the base. Since the crime boss had made this palace his home, Ren believed that the relic could had been stored somewhere within this mess of a room, presumably found and ready to be shipped to the wrong hands. A disaster of epic proportions was bound to happen, should a Force relic of unforetold power be placed in the clutches of questionable beings.

So, quietly, Ren began to search around for the relic. He took out the Force amulet that Phest had given to him to locate it, holding it out to feel the flash of light that could signal its essence.

Suddenly, he tensed up, hearing some faint dialogue coming from out the doors that was getting more audible. Knowing that people were coming, Ren quickly abandoned his search and jumped up the walls before hanging onto one of the pillar supports, hiding within the shadows of the dark room.

When the doors opened up, he could see three figures entering the chamber. One of them, as Ren recognized, was Roman himself, walking with two other humans. The henchwoman next to him walked with her umbrella up to her shoulder, walking with sass. The other thug walked just an inch behind them, suggesting his inferiority to the other two.

Torchwick didn't look all too well, judging by the dissatisfied frown on his face. Ren could feel the seeping anger swirling all inside of the crime boss, waves of heat warming up his body. Something must had happened that threw him in this state of frustration, with Ren noting the speed of how fast he reached for his chair and sat himself down. He lowered his head onto the tips of his fingers, resting his elbows down on the table while calming himself down.

"The last thing I need is the Hutt Council threatening us to move out or be slagged." complained the boss. "Besides, I have more pressing matters to tend to." He waved his hand off, sending the subordinate thug away to do whatever he wished, just as long as he didn't bother Torchwick. "Off you go."

Without question, the member just walked out, shutting the doors behind him. The woman, Neo, just eyed her boss, giving him a knowing look, wishing to find out if Torchwick was alright.

"Governor Amestre should have contacted me by now." uttered Roman. Just as she was turning to face him, Neo spotted the little smirk on his face, looking at her as if to interrupt her thoughts.

"I know what're you thinking, Neo." he spoke, a vile sensation was building up in his voice. "Let's assume, in the case that that busty blonde somehow escapes Cantonica and avoids my wrath, what shall happen then?" He slid out a drawer from underneath the table, taking out a good stack of credits before counting them up. The thin gold chips were rubbed between his two chips, stroked like a tooka's fur, with the golden, shiny surface of each chip feeling as smooth as Naboo itself. Yet, within the man, laid a brewing taste for revenge that was formed from the lifelong routine of crime he had followed since childhood onwards...

There was that wicked desire for payback that Ren could sense in Torchwick. Whoever had ticked him off must had really done a whole lot to make him this angry.

"I want that blonde freak placed in a cage and sold to the Hutts. Maybe that will get those slugs to shut their gaping holes until I get my money back." snarled Torchwick. He then rose back up, picking up his signature cane and rolling his electronic smoking pipe within his two fingers. A conniving smile soon snuck up his face, turning his anger into cruel amusement.

"Speaking of which, that should be arriving any time soon." Neo's eyes widened in disbelief. Sure, Torchwick could always cook up a scheme to capture the beast, but doing it so soon, and to direct her all the way to the base? She couldn't believe how stupid it was to risk an angry bombshell from exploding in the temple. Yet, her completely silent demeanour, coupled with her undying loyalty to her boss, forced her to not oppose his plan; perhaps, until he better explained the crudity of it all.

"Yes, Neo. I hired a thief to track her down and retrieve the money from her." gloated the crime lord in the making, prideful over another revenge plot against a threat to his enterprise. "Knowing how crazy as it sounds, I could have just taken the money and leave her, not knowing who had taken her prized money." The fact that he could have stolen the money and be done with it would have saved him the trouble of feeling the Yellow Rancor's wrath; that much was true.

Yet, there was another cruel grin, teeth flashing white to reveal his sadistic intentions for revenge.

"But that wouldn't be enough for me…" he hissed with glee. He then walked around his cohort, turning himself into something of a philosopher. "You see, Neo; riches may make you the better man. Or woman." he pointed out, making Neo twist her lips and her hips to her sides in a mock insult. "But without the means of making yourself presentable to your subjects, what use do I have for those riches? Sure, have a lot of money, and you are bound to be famous. But having a lot of money **and** be known for something significant, and you will control an empire!" His cane rose to the air, poised to strike the stars above. Pride swelled up in his voice, throwing him into a state of glorious joy. "So, to set an example, I want people to know that I, Roman Torchwick, had captured the mighty beast herself. And to do that, I have set up an elaborate trap to catch her and send her off to the Hutts.

"I seem to recall a little scuffle they have with our blondie, so I shall use it to my advantage. I shall have the girl locked up and shipped to Nal Hutta, while the slugs get their slimy rears of my back. A double win for us, Neo!" The girl with the multi-coloured hair flashed her own satisfied smirk, now catching in on Roman's plans for a better future. "Once she arrives, I will have what I want, and no one else can stop me."

Just then, after a briefing of his plans, the doors zoomed right open again, letting a Zabrak into the room to report to Torchwick.

"Tzark managed to obtain the package and is en route back home, boss!"

"Good." said Roman, pleased that his scheme was going according to plan, for now. "So Xiao Long is following him?"

"Yep! And that's not all!" Roman's ears perked up, wanting to hear these additional details of the hunt. All the while, however, Ren was up above them, listening for himself. Something about Torchwick's plans for revenge, specifically on the planet Cantonica had peaked his interest. The criminal clearly had something to do with the planet while he and Nora were both in Canto Bight, presumably planning more schemes.

Which made him wonder about Nora. Could she be… involved in the scuffle while they were down there? He did remember hearing a loud explosion happening in one of the hangar bays in the city; the very same one that the hammer wielder wished to assist in. Was that the place of the incident, where this Yellow Rancor was causing trouble? If so, then could Nora had possibly gone to do more harm by following this brawler?

"Our contact saw her duking it out with a bunch of security guards at the hangar. Along the way, she was with some girl with this big hammer that bashed security like they were nothing!"

"Nora…" Ren's fears came true. Now, not only was a dangerous brawler about to arrive into a trap, Nora was right behind her, about fall into it with her. For the first time in a while, he had felt this surge of guilt running across his body, regretting the decision to leave Nora alone, so he could focus on his mission. He thought Phest was right about going their separate ways for Ren to complete mission. Apparently, things were not going to get any better as a friend was now about to head right into the crosshairs.

The sudden alert to his friend's safety had triggered an alarm in his nerves, making his body tremble slightly with panic. Little did he know that the sudden shivering of his body was strong enough to slip his hand of the pillar, losing his honed focus and nearly tumbling before barely recovering. The force of the near-fall had shaken a crack on the pillar, sending a chunk of stone to fall down, hitting the ground with a loud crash.

The cracking of the stone alerted the three people in the room, spinning their bodies back to see what had happened. All there was, on the floor, was pieces of crumbled stone, scattered around. They then raised their heads up to see what made the piece fall, finding more than just a random case of deteriorating structuring.

Ren was caught within the sights of the three crooks, now pressed to take action whenever he could. Before anyone could react, he released himself from the ceiling and jumped down, immediately sprinting past Torchwick and the others, kicking the Zabrak in the face to escape them. For the door, he sprinted with all of his might.

Angered by the sudden intrusion, Torchwick pulled out his cane and opened up the tip to fire a few sniper shots at the runaway pest. Sensing the danger, Ren then turned around, pulled out his daggers and deflected each shot with excellent precision. The warrior monk danced around, spinning while directing his aim towards the sudden tension of each projectile. The third shot was fired, Ren focused all of his concentration and felt for the flow of his daggers' blades to direct the plasma bolt right for the cane. Swinging at the right moment, the curved edge of the blade caught the projectile, but instead of dispersing itself, it travelled right along the edge before, at the right moment, Ren swung it back towards Torchwick, hitting it right at the cane and knocking it off his hand.

While his pursuers were slightly stunned by the counter, Ren turned around to resume his run, going all the way without hesitation. Roman looked to Neo, snapping his finger to give her the get-go on pulling out one of her snazzy weapons. Walking in front of Torchwick, just as the intruder was in her sights, the girl opened up her umbrella, revealing the eight spokes that lined up towards the centre spike. Purple energy lines filled up the spokes towards the very spike, charging up before Neo pulled the trigger at the handle. The resulting blast was a storm of electric currents that formed a net that zoomed towards Ren.

Unable to catch the net in time, Ren turned his head to see the fizzing energy trap heading for him in a split second. Before long, he was caught within the net, thrown down to the floor before being shocked with a huge dose of stunning power. His body fidgeted violently to the flow of electricity across his veins before, finally, closing his eyes and knocking him unconscious. His vision blurred before finally losing all of his focus, vanishing into a dark void of nothingness.

Watching the stun net do its work, Torchwick and Neo shared their cold grins, walking towards the fallen trespasser to find out who they were dealing with. Indeed, the brief but impressive defence had caught them off guard. Whoever he was, he had to be well-trained in some form of martial arts to perform those perfect blocks.

Examining the fallen body, the crime boss was busy coming something up to make things more interesting for the upcoming trap on Yang Xiao Long.

"Take him to the dungeon and lock him up." he ordered Neo. "He might serve as an extra bonus for my plans to deliver the Yellow Rancor to the Hutts."

* * *

 _Minutes later_

The trip to finding her money was going rather well for Yang. her junker was able to latch onto a lone cargo ship that shipped her to a docking facility, far off in the Bilmarr System where it was known for its own shipyards, building cargo craft of all shapes and sizes.

She, along with Nora, took the chance to hijack another smaller freighter to jump from the docks and plot their next jump to the source of the signal beacon. Thankfully, by mere luck, when the signal stopped, it seemed to stop somewhere in Wild Space, just a few clicks away from the Bilmarr System. She figured this was the place where the scoundrel, who stole her credits, stopped. Yang now had to consider if the location was safe for travel. For all she knew, it could be just a resting point, taking a break on his or her own without the company of others. Else, it could well be a stronghold of other thieves who could overwhelm the two of them.

Whatever the case; she was sure that the money the thief had taken had to be used for something. Credits are never meant for nothing, every motive in the galaxy always involved them. The faster she caught her thief, the faster she could use her own money again.

The ship she flew to get to her destination, though cleaner and much more hospitable than the last one, was not a major improvement, more compressed in terms of interior design. No wonder the Bilmarr Shipyards were not as prominent as the other major companies out there, if they couldn't make their ships the least bit comfortable for the user, then it was obvious no one would talk about them.

Nevertheless, the ship was able to get them to where they needed to go. The lush jungle world of Teth. When the ship reached orbit, the two girls were met with nothing more than clouds and natural towers of rock that speared into the air, shielding the twisted jungles down below from Yang and Nora's views.

The signal beacon would soon lead them to one of the many monasteries built on top of the rock formations. That gave Yang a good idea that the thief found a nice place to shelter himself from anyone who would come after him. Picked a pretty good place to hide, Yang thought. From the sights of the temples alone, she was easily reminded of the one Jabba the Hutt used as his prime palace on Tatooine. Given that the insides of that disgusting old haven for the Hutt leader were similar to the ones she was heading to; it would be foolish to venture into the base head on.

All bets were up as to how the thief would prevent Yang from taking her money back; that is, if he or she had the guts to face her. Finally landing on the landing platform, the smuggler deactivated the ship's systems, proceeding to descend down to the floor and onto her mission.

Yang felt the cold mountainous breeze brush against her long messy hair, taking in the fresh jungle air as she walked down. After running around urban jungles for days, jumping through stuffy toxic atmospheres and all, and being stuck in a couple of stinking ships, it was refreshing to be feel the breeze of tropical air for a change. Even the artificial serenity of Canto Bight had nothing on this world's natural atmosphere.

But as Yang learned it the hard way; nothing in this galaxy was completely peaceful. Not even on a world of holy prayers like this could keep the B'omarrs from staying, and now, a thief was making himself comfortable in one of their temples.

Once Yang stepped out of her ship, she took sight of the wide open courtyard, with a thin red carpet flanked by two rows of odd-shaped pillars. Some of these pillars were cracked up and broken apart, with bits of stone scattered below them. The most bizarre sight of all, however, had to be the amount of debris seen across the courtyard. Beneath the roofs of the temple's front, wreckages of some kind of battle walkers were littered across, added with the junk piles of what looked like battle droids and Trade Federation fighters.

She didn't know what had happened, but it appeared that there was some kind of battle that happened here. However, that wasn't what crept Yang up. The way the wrecks were all aligned under the roofs, all neatly lined up like they were used as barricades.

Something told Yang that there was to be trouble ahead, but right now, as it stood, she wasn't met with any resistance. Was it going to be an ambush? Backed by Nora, she had her shotgun pistols out, ready to fire upon anyone who would fire on them. Nora, naturally, had her hammer out as well, itching to smash some heads in.

By the time they slowly approached the front entrance of the temple, they watched their sides, viewing the rears of the supposed barricades that laid on both ends. To Yang's relief and Nora's disappointment, no one was around to eliminate them, as though the temple had been vacated not too recently.

Unopposed, they entered the temple, walking just about enough for the huge metal door to rise open automatically. Dust flew up from the spiked locks that rose with the door, with the dark and seemingly abandoned hall of the temple. The metallic creaking echoed on into the empty corridor as Yang and Nora walked in.

Upon entering, they were soon met by a lone stranger from the shadows. A Weequay woman, hiding her face with in a hood, part of robes that draped down all the way to her feet. Her hands hid within opposite sleeves, walking over to greet the two women.

"So, you're the caretaker of this old place?" asked Yang. The priestess bowed, but without a word. Yang and Nora stood awkwardly at the silent gesture, not knowing how to continue.

"Hey!" shouted Nora. "We're looking for some dirtbag who stole my friend's money. You know where we can find him?" In response, the priestess bowed again, acknowledging Nora's question. She turned around, waving her hand backwards to lead them into the temple.

"Well, that was easy." Yang muttered, shrugging her shoulders. The two girls then continued on and followed the priestess into the building.

Their trek took them downstairs, following along the spiral staircase that would eventually lead them into the main gathering hall of the monks of old, which reminded Yang all too well of Jabba's own throne room. In fact, it all looked very similar, right down to the stage that would house the Hutt's throne. In contrast to the lively spectacle of Jabba's followers dancing around to the beat of some of his greatest musicians, there was absolutely nothing here in the Teth temple. The whole room was vacant; not even a single hint of the B'omarr monks' existence, just one empty room.

The priestess walked to the centre of the stage, gesturing to the two girls to stand, front and centre. Yang and Nora stepped onto the grilled flooring, where the former would remember the huge rancor that laid underneath in Jabba's custom-made execution den. They looked at the robed woman as she took off her hood, leaving them uncertain of what she wanted to tell them.

Though, Yang had that stinging feeling that the woman was being a little too quiet…

The priestess bowed again, this time, reaching her arms down all the way to the ground, mystifying the girls further. She stood still for a few seconds in this weird pose, prolonging their curiosity. Then, her head rose up to face them… with a wicked grin.

Suddenly, her body flung back upright, swinging her arms upwards with such force. At that moment, Yang and Nora were alarmed by the sudden movement before, in the blink of an eye, seeing two knives darting towards them. On impulse, they backed away just before the blades hit their marks and stabbed right into the walls behind them.

After recovering from the surprise attack, they then glared towards the priestess, eager to know what the heck was going on. The woman then stood with her hands to her hips before bringing a hand up to snap her fingers. With a cold smile, her clothes began to undergo a weird transformation, shaking with a holographic cloak around her, turning into a white coat with black pants. And, in the most revolting scene yet, her face transformed, her wrinkled skin gradually smoothing and turning into that shade of pale human shell. Hair of brown and pink flopped down, flashing the same set of colours from her eyes, revealing the real identity of the woman before them.

"Whoa! She's a Changeling!" cried Yang in surprise, recognizing the woman as one of the henchwomen under Roman Torchwick's wing. To her horror, that could only mean one thing…

"The term 'hybrid' would be more accurate." said the man himself, in the flesh. Yang and Nora's eyes turned slightly to the right of the girl known as Neo, seeing the shadowy figure of Torchwick appear in full form. "But technically, you are not half wrong. My dear Neo does have Changeling genetics in her DNA, allowing her to blend in well with the crowd. All the better to fool the both of you into coming here." His ghastly smile crept, eyes filled with ambition at the prospect of finally seizing his prey. "I knew I'd find you here, blondie. You don't realize how much we missed you."

"Alright! You got me, Torchwick." growled Yang. "So what? You and your poise are going to stop us on your own?" Her hands were firmly gripped around the handles of her shotgun pistols while Nora had her hammer primed for a major whopping. Both girls had their game faces on, ready to fight their way out. She figured the little theft of her money was all a scheme to trap her for the little stunt she pulled in the Corporate Sector. So, Torchwick was the man who associated himself with the governor of Canto Bight, stealing the money so she couldn't bribe security into letting her go. "Face it, Roman. You're up against a blonde with two big guns and a carrot-top with a massive hammer. You might as well give me the money that you stole and we can all leave off happy."

" **Your** money? Please, Xiao Long. Those credits were mine to begin with." laughed Torchwick. "Not to mention that your feeble price from your selling pales in comparison to the numbers I would have placed." The mockery on Torchwick's face vanished afterwards, his grin transformed into a scowling frown. The man had grown tired of Yang's interference in his goals of prominence. "But I'm afraid all the money you have ain't good enough. I have a much more valuable idea of what to do with you." He turned to his accomplice to finish the job and seize the moment. "Neo. Do the honours."

Neo didn't need to ask twice (or rather just hesitate by staying still). She aimed her umbrella right at the two girls, ready to pull the trigger and capture them.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Yang pointed her guns at the woman, backing off by inches. "Girl, come on. We can work this out." Neo did not flinch once, still approaching the two with her weapon out at the ready. On the other hand, someone else was losing her own patience with the two criminals.

"THAT'S IT! HAMMER TIME!" Nora Valkyrie raised her hammer up, about to pummel through the two of them and be done with it. As soon as she released her tension of the hammer, she was about to swing down with a resounding bang. Instead, however, she felt a tiny sting to her neck, instantly knocking out her senses. The girl started to lose her conscience before falling to the floor, dazed and unable to move any further.

Yang veered her head behind her, spotting two more of Roman's thugs, one of them aiming a tranquilizer weapon at Nora. As the hammer wielder crashed to the ground, the blonde brawler was all alone to stand against four punks at once.

With no backup left to worry about, Neo pointed her umbrella at Yang, opened it up and fired an energy net onto her. The pulsing net sent a striking shockwave, attacking all of her nerves in an instant before knocking her out entirely. Her inner strength was powerless to withstand the force of the intense field of electricity, unable to burst up in the worst of situations. Finally, Yang fell to the ground, shocked until she was no longer able to remain conscious.

Two of his enemies were now knocked out, Roman had his victims, ready to be sold off to the Hutts for the next step of his criminal enterprise.

"Good work, Neo." he complimented Neo. "I'd give you a promotion, but you've already excelled beyond my expectations, that I can't seem to get you a new rank." The silent woman shrugged, not needing that extra compliment to know how high she was in Torchwick's hierarchy. The man then eyed the fallen girls to get things in motion, foot tapping with anticipation and cane twirling around his fingers.

"Take them away. Now that we have our hostages, it's time to call our good friends from the Hutt Council."

* * *

 _An hour later_

An empty void was all there was… Nothing but darkness. Nothing to feel nor hear either. Yang didn't know how long she had to remain in that void, but there was always the time to leave it.

She came to it, conscience slowly regaining. Upon awaking, she felt a gradual aching in her head, minor burns throughout her body. Her vision slowly regained, fully bringing back her senses. By the time she was wide awake, she wanted to grab her head to soothe the headache she took from that wretch's umbrella, but she could only feel both of her arms being gripped.

When she turned her head groggily, at both sides, she could see two men carrying her by the arms, dragging her through what looked like a corridor of many doors on both walls. Caged doors in rows was a definite sign of a prison, one that Yang was all too familiar with.

She couldn't tell if Nora was with her, guessing that the wild girl was trailing behind her. The two of them didn't even put up any bit of a fight, and now, they were being hauled to their cells, unarmed and out of options.

She was being captured, that was already certain. The problem now was to worry about what they would do to her after the capture. Just what would Torchwick do to the likes of her? Whatever punishment she would meet later, she had to be prepared for the worst and find a way to escape. If only her head wasn't so rife with a dizzying ache…

The two thugs finally stopped at a cell, turning to their right as the door flung open. All Yang could see was a dark, shady room, tiny and compact, not even up to the standards of a proper room in a hovel. Yet, she wasn't too repulsed nor frightened by the conditions, having been in familiar situations like this.

The thing she was worried about, though, was how she was going to escape the cell. That was going to require some thought.

For now, Yang found herself being tossed into the cell like some useless thrash, crashing onto the stone, dusty floor beneath her. Followed behind her, Nora was also thrown in the same manner. The two guards cackled menacingly at the plight of the two before shutting the door and leaving them to an uncertain fate.

Recovering from the fall, Nora got up and ran to the door, grasping her hardened hands around the cold bars of the grilled door, temper flaring to the max.

"HEY!" she screamed with fury, hands shaking and threatening to break open the steel bars. "GET US OUT OF HERE, OR ELSE I'LL SMASH YOU TO BITS!"

"Sorry, Nora, but I don't think you can do that when you don't have your big hammer." Yang sighed, dusting her legs as she got back up too. Now that she was in the cell, she was immediately off to work on finding a way out of their prison. Nora, on the other hand, continued to growl, trying to budge the door open with her own bare hands.

Unknown to her, her groans only awakened an unseen stranger from within the cell…

"Nora…?" The struggle to open the door had ceased. A pang of familiarity hit Nora, causing her to turn around to hear the weak voice of the person who called her. From the shadows, she could feel a shadow that came out to expose itself.

Slowly, the figure had its legs appear, right before the rest of its body took form in what little light there was. Nora's eyes went bigger at the sight of the man who emerged from the darkness, immediately replacing her frustration to immense joy.

"Ren!" She jumped away from the door and charged right into the friend who separated from her not too long ago, hugging him tightly.

The warrior monk was tackled to the ground, adding up to the stress on his already battered body. The clothes he wore were singed on a few areas, small holes burnt onto his robes. His body, like Yang after him, was still feeling the aching repercussions of Torchwick's lackey's stun weapon. Worse still, there was a hyperactive barbarian of a girl, bear-hugging him almost to the point of suffocation. Gasping for breath, he tried to shake himself away from Nora, to no avail.

"Nora…" his voice, strained to the core, struggling to breathe. "Can't breathe…" At once, the girl released her friend, still beaming with joy over reuniting with her old friend. Ren caught his breath, inhaling in lost air. He wished he had an appropriate time to practice his resilience against her crushing embraces, often caught by surprise, whenever he was not prepared. Deep down, however, there was a small pang of relief to see that Nora had at least found her way back to him, sure that she would be watched from doing more harm.

Yang saw the brief moment of jubilance, the least bit intrigued by how Nora recognized their new cellmate, much less bothered to make do with the extra set of hands in this mess. She did, however, need to bring both of them along if she had any chance of escaping. Who knew, except for Nora, of course, how capable this guy was? Just why and how did he come up here to be locked up by the likes of Roman Torchwick? That, at least, caught her attention.

"A friend of yours?" she asked Nora.

" **Best** friend!" Nora bellowed before nudging Ren in the shoulder, much to his discomfort.

"So, you must be the Yellow Rancor?" he said, directing his suspicion towards Yang. The tone of his voice was quickly picked up by the smuggler, but didn't want to make a big deal of it.

"Has my reputation gone far?" she joked.

"A little too far, to my liking." uttered Ren, before putting up a gentle and warmer face. "Thank you for bringing Nora here. I wasn't sure she would venture out on her own. My name is Lie Ren."

"Yang. That's my real name." If Yang was going to spend time thinking of a way out, then she could at least be courteous to the two occupants who shared her cell. "So, what the heck are you doing here?" But little did she know that her little question was far too complicated for the likes of Lie Ren; a guardian on a mission.

"It's none of your concern." Ren stated firmly but not too seriously by putting up a polite tone. Then, next to the two, Nora had finally realized something that made her connect the dots to Ren's presence here on this planet.

"Wait a minute. If you're here… then this must be where…!" But quickly, Ren stopped her, putting his finger on her lips to silence her. Ignoring Yang's confusion, he then turned Nora around and quietly whispered to her, reminding her of the importance of secrecy in the mission.

"Nora. We don't want to drag along any danger. Especially one who is all too willing to subdue her foes without mercy." uttered Ren. Nora couldn't believe the words that came out of his mouth. She may had known Yang for only about less than a day, but she didn't really feel Yang was of any danger to her, believing that the blonde brawler was of no harm to them.

"She's cool, Ren. She won't hurt us at all!" she whispered back, slightly louder to play along with Ren's apparent act of secrecy, but just enough to express her insistence that Yang was a person of good. "Why ae you always so stiff with people?"

"I can appreciate her helping you thus far. But we can't afford to jeopardize the mission by bringing someone who has some bad reputation, especially when criminals like Torchwick are involved."

All the while, Yang watched the two bickering against each other, arms crossed with a pout. She didn't need to hear what they had to say; from what Ren said to her before, she knew there was something he had that didn't need her attention. While watching the two talk away from her, she couldn't help but let out an unamused sigh. It was clear, though, that if they were going to have any chance of getting out of this place alive, she needed to make sure that they were on even, if not, slightly stable ground.

When the two stopped arguing, Yang stepped in to assure that her enormous notoriety would not jeopardize things between them. After all, once they were out, they could all go their separate ways and never be associated with each other again. It was still going to be a bummer without having Nora around, she could use a bit more muscle to her powerful presence in the underworld, for a change.

"I know you've heard of my little… adventures with crooks like Torchwick." she admitted to Ren, changing to a cheerful demeanour. "But no worries! I'm totally harmless when it counts." The assurance did not fully convince Ren. He could respect Yang's honesty and good will; it definitely showed from the flow of her heart. She did deliver Nora back under his watchful eye, even if it did get her into trouble, but then again, it was Nora, after all.

Ren still felt there was still caution to be exercised. Knowing the trouble Nora got in, he had to keep an eye on Yang throughout the duration of their time imprisoned by the criminal syndicate.

"That could do little to curb my hesitation, Miss Xiao Long."

With introductions out of the way. Yang could get back to finding a way out of her cell. While Nora danced around the room in her usual cheerful self, the two other occupants were more concerned over leaving their premises.

"So, how do we bust ourselves out of here?" asked Nora, finally sitting herself down at the bench by the wall, looking at the two more intuitive minds at work. Yang peered over to the sandy rock wall, brushing her hand around the rough surface before pressing her fingers against the hard surface. The old age of the temple's walls could very well present a great chance of an easy **break** -through. Pun-making aside, she was willing to try and make the punch.

"Maybe I can bust open the walls." she suggested with the clench of her fists. "These are pretty old walls, after all." She wound up her arms around, stretching her muscles to prepare for the bashing on the wall. After a brief warmup, Yang began to launch her fists onto the wall, taking in second by second of thrusts against the rock hard wall. The cell around the three of them rocked with each punch, small bits of gravel dropping down from the ancient walls.

Each strike she made onto the wall added to her energy, making her feel the thrill that was levelling up inside of her. Within time, she felt that, with her punches getting stronger, she would be able to finally get results, cracking open the walls.

A minute had passed, and not a single one of her punches had made a large enough hole on the wall, only leaving a small crack. Even as Yang developed her aggravation, the stone wall was proving to be a real pain in the ass, unable to bend to her will. As the punches continue, it would be time for the walls to come tumbling down.

Meanwhile, Ren sat idly on the floor, eyes closed and breathing in and out, unfazed by the repeated punches on the wall. While he did feel the need about escaping and finding the relic he failed to take earlier, he preferred to remain calm and wait for the right moment to make the run for it. In the midst of his calming meditation, however, he could feel the aggression from Yang's punches, feeling his body being pumped in and out with each strike of thrill from her own.

Not that he was losing his own patience, Ren sought to advise Yang to ease her stress, to tell her to loosen herself up so she wouldn't waste her efforts before the eventual release. He knew they had to be taken out to be dealt with a punishment from Torchwick sooner or later, so it was best to prepare before the storm arrived.

"Don't waste your energy, Miss Xiao Long." he told her, interrupting her tries on the wall. "The Force shall guide us." Hearing him calling upon some 'mystical' power, it gave Yang the idea that Ren must be one of those Force heretics from some backwater world. When things about the Force are mentioned, many people in the galaxy would immediately think of the Jedi, the mystical warriors who were bent on defending the Republic from all threats. But she knew better to acknowledge the numerous cults and religions that worshipped aspects of the Force.

But Yang did not relish in the spiritual and supernatural…

Instead, it set a deep, dark thorn inside Yang's heart whenever she heard the word of the Jedi, how it reminded her of a horrid past that was best forgotten…

When they took two people precious to her…

"Oh, great. You're one of those kind of people, huh?" she groaned, hiding behind that dark persona burning inside.

Ren, for some reason, felt that spark of aggression in Yang that he could never identify. There was a small sense of anger that came out from how he told her of his methods of tranquillity. But all the same, there was the much larger and more harmless sense of disbelief inside of her. Understandably, this was to be expected from someone who appeared to rely on using her hands before her mind.

"You're just going to jump right in and take Torchwick and his goons all on with nothing but some voodoo magic? I'm sure that got you in here in the first place." Yang's snarky remarks were not much use in offending Ren, not that it was offensive to begin with.

"It's not magic, I assure you." stated Ren.

"You're just leaving it to luck that we make it out of here alive." scoffed Yang, her arms now crossed. In response, Ren stood back up and told it to her as it was.

"There's always more to the Force than luck." he reminded her, firm and unwavered. In the end, Yang decided that 'to each his own'. No point arguing over what is real and what is not when they were all being trapped in the same prison. It was a silly debate that had no place in a troubling situation.

But just as they were about to move on and await their chance to leave, the two guards returned, opening up the door and ordered everyone to leave. If they were to make the run for it, they would think twice, as the guards were now holding two electrostaffs that threaten to deliver more surging punishment to any signs of disobedience.

"Come on! The boss would like to see you."

* * *

Shackled up and being led to who knew where, the three prisoners of Roman Torchwick were now left to be marched through another empty hallway, seeing the big doors in front of them. Flanked by the two large Dowutin guards from back to front, they were defenceless to do anything, much less run past them.

Ren could always use his own instincts and proficiency in _zama shiwo_ to deal with them without his daggers, allowing him and his fellow prisoners to escape and make a run for it. Nora was already known to bash up anyone who dared to make her mad using her own bare hands, only using her hammer as a last resort. And Yang could also rely on her fists and her inner temper to get the job done and help everyone run for their freedom.

"You know; we could take them on right now." Yang whispered to Ren in front of her, not even trying to lower her voice, since they were in earshot of the guards.

"That would end killing us." hushed Ren, making the effort himself to be discreet. "Without our weapons, we are completely outmatched against a whole fortress of Roman's gang. The least we can do is follow along with this and wait for the right moment."

"The right moment to kill us all, you mean?" growled Yang, earning a shove of the staff from the rear guard, who came up to shush them up. The three prisoners kept walking along until they reached the doors at the end of the hall. They old, rusted doors slid to their sides, revealing the large room that they were forced into.

A square room graced the three prisoners, high and wide. At the other end of the room, a balcony towered over them, overlooking the large chamber that was supported with four pillars at each corner area of the room spearing up to the ceiling. All across the floor, revolting signs of death were scattered, forming an unsettling graveyard with humanoid bones and skeletons, sprawled around like discarded thrash.

Ren deduced that the room used to be one of the monks' prayer rooms, seeing some of the spoilt and damaged rugs that had their colourful patterns now stained with what looked like clotted blood and dirt. Death was everywhere, that much he hated to acknowledge. A shameful desecration of what was once a holy place.

The three prisoners looked up at the balcony, spotting the man of the hour himself. Torchwick stood above them with his usual smug, cane pressed down to the floor with his hand. His wicked joy was aimed right at his prey, filled with all the great things that he hoped to achieve into his head. The Dowutin guards left the sides of the prisoners, leaving them to be addressed to by their boss.

"So, you know why you're brought here, right?" Torchwick called loudly, still smiling.

"Do we need to answer that, you sleemo?!" Yang shouted, foot stomped onto the ground. "Then, come on down here so I can shove it down your sorry butt!"

"Yeah!" Nora yelled along with her.

"I'd love to, sweethearts, but after what happened to the last trespasser who dared to steal from me…" Roman levelled his cane up and pointed it at the carcass of his last victim, already dry to the bones, but still showed the slightest sign of flesh, evidenced by the rotten smell, which Ren had the misfortune of smelling with his acute nose. "I'd rather be up here where I'll be cleaner."

"So, you wanna tell what you're going to do to us?" Yang requested. She imagined that it wasn't going to end well for her and her companions, given the deathly and grim scene around her. The only thing she could do was to confirm what was going to try and snuff her out next.

"Now, where's the fun in that?" laughed Torchwick, turning into a cynical grin. "All you need to know is that you're going to enjoy your daily dose of criminal justice. And you're going to experience it as you come off, limb by limb…" As much as Yang wished to brave the thought of being torn apart, she couldn't hold in the sudden chill of his sadistic, joyful expression.

But Yang was about to find out what was in store for her and her fellow victims. The doors at both sides of the room opened up, letting in their executioners. From each side, a pair of large reptilian creatures, scales painted yellow on top and green on the bottom, immediately snapped their jaws, ravenously barking out screeching roars in a predacious attempt to seize their prey. Theirs backs were lined with sharp spikes all the way to their tails, which whipped with instinctive hunger. Held back in electrically-charged leashes by some of Torchwick's men, they desperately tried to break free of their hold and feast upon the three fresh flesh-filled humans standing on alert.

The three prisoners had to deal with carnivorous lizards that could mangle them to death. And if that wasn't horrifying enough, they were still shackled with restraints to their wrists, unarmed and unable to make use of their hands.

Then, without any more words, Torchwick turned around and disappeared from the canopy.

"Can't bother to watch us being eaten live, Torchwick?" urged Yang.

"Live or recorded, I get to see you pay all the same." Torchwick called, not bothered to walk back and face his prisoners. "Besides, I don't intend on feeding you to the lizards. You'll just be nibbled enough 'till you're broken. Just enough for us to deliver you nicely to the Hutts."

Yang gulped, finally realizing the intent of Torchwick to keep her alive rather than straight up executing her on the spot. Now, she had the unpleasant thought of being sent to the slug she was supposed to pay her debt to, with the money that Torchwick ironically took from her. It'd be a very terrible way to go if she was given to Gorga, shattered and broken.

Now was a good time to really break the shackles that trapped her fists. No way was she going to face the Hutts when she was so close to her goals. If only her guns were packed in her pockets right now…

"And also, thanks to you, monk, I can fetch a high price for the little trinket you're so after." Torchwick added, now exposing the purpose of Ren's presence in the temple. He meant to keep his mission a secret, but the gang leader had blown his cover in the worst of situations. "And now, I shall take my leave. Enjoy your meal, boys!" Soon after, Torchwick left the room, disappearing off to deal with other businesses while his guests were about to be ripped.

With Torchwick gone, Yang looked over to the monk's face, smirking at the revelation of his task that was bombastically told aloud.

"Treasure hunting for some old piece of junk, huh?" she chuckled. "Is that really such a hard thing to tell?"

"No time." hushed Ren. His focus was on the wild howler lizards that were about to jump at them at any given time. Their wild sensation for flesh was burning, heating up as he felt their hunger-driven desires swimming around the scene. Each snap of their tough jaws created a resonating boom of tension that wriggled through his muscles. It was a pack of howlers ready to strike them down and do whatever their masters wish of them.

"Okay. So how do we go about this?" asked Yang.

"With these shackles on us, it'd be very difficult to handle the howlers." deduced Ren.

"Who cares?!" yelled Nora. "Let's just smash them!"

"No, Nora." warned Ren. "They are still creatures, stripped from their homes to do Torchwick's bidding. We shouldn't end their lives so cruelly."

"So, what are we supposed to do?" groaned Yang. "Knock them unconscious, pick them up and toss them back into the wild?"

"The jungles will suffice." stated Ren.

"Then, we'll bash them up, but **not** kill them!" Then, Nora interrupted, sounding like she had a brilliant idea. Needless to say; Yang and Ren were not amused. Still, the challenge of fending off a pack of howler lizards presented itself with great care. The shackles had to be removed, or they would be handicapped against the beasts.

Once the howlers were ready to be unleashed, the guards pressed on the buttons on the hilts of their staffs, releasing the tight pull on their creatures to let the trio have it. Once they were broken enough, they would press on the button again to electrify the lizards with their collars and reel them back in, just enough to leave the victims bloodied and torn into gruesome husks, but still breathing.

"We have to find a way out of here." Ren raised the issue aloud, voice slightly louder from the pressure of the lizards.

"What good of finding a way out if we don't live to see it." countered Yang. "I don't care if your lizard friends should get out of this alive, but **we** definitely should."

"I… second that, Ren." added Nora, frightened by the stalking lizards, wondering if Yang was right about dealing with them. Soon, the stalking lizards started to pick up the pace, growling intensifying into threatening screeches. At the next instance, they then stepped up their approach and began running towards their prey.

"I suppose we should hold them off." Ren sighed, reluctantly."

"Alright, but one question…" said Yang. "How do we get these things off of us?" She waved her arms up and down, signalling everyone's attention to her binders. The lizards sped closer, jumping the three into alarm, until they stopped mid-way, stopping to surround them.

They encircled the three prisoners, eyeing for their weak points while securing a powerful presence to affect their responses. Yang kept her eyes on the creatures, teeth gritted as she waited for the slightest sign of attack. Nora just kept her fists clenched, even when her arms were bonded together, less vigilant than Yang that she needed to act right away. Unfortunately, both of the girls' anxiety towards the lizards wasn't making things easier for Ren, who remained calm and composed, even as the reptiles circled them.

The feelings of uncertainty and fear were slowly enticing the creatures to jump up and pounce on their prey. The instincts were already building up so fast that he didn't have time to evaluate on escaping or fighting. There was one way to work around with this, but the girls were not going to like it.

"Let them jump on you."

"What?!" Yang and Nora both exclaimed, almost provoking one of the howlers to snap. "Are you mad?" the former hissed.

"Howler lizards have considerably powerful bites."

"Oh, great deduction, expert." Yang muttered sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Just great. I guess you want them to chew on us before we even put up a fight. That's certainly helping us." Ignoring Yang's quirky sarcasm, Ren remained silent, watching the lizards as they closed in.

"Their jaws are powerful enough to crush metal." explained Ren, still not getting any good word from either girl. "If I can motion myself at the right position and at the right time, I can move my arms and have them bite the shackles off."

"Even if you can make the shot, how are you so sure they will bite the binders off of us?" Yang's uncertainty was only making the fear all the more tempting for the howlers, slowing down to jump on them.

It was just as Ren predicted. Now, he just got to time it just right, picking out which howler would attack first, the same way he used against the King Taijitu earlier.

Finally, with enough stalking, one of the lizards dashed and tried to pounce on Ren, striking from behind. The ferocity struck out like a blast from a heat wave, clear to track where it came from. In that split second, Ren turned to the howler and raised his arms to catch the beast. The creature pounced on him and toppled him to the floor, already trying to get a bite out of him.

"Ren!" Nora yelled in worry, before she too was charged at by another lizard. She quickly kicked her leg up, just in time to stop it from tackling her down. "Yeah! You like that?! Come get some!" she cried victoriously, goading the lizard to try again. As such, the carrot-top braced for the howler to run towards her, rolling underneath it as it jumped over her.

While the two were dealing with their lizards, Yang had the last two with her. The reptiles were side-by-side, slithering towards her in a tight formation. Unwavered by their strength in numbers, she eyed her foes, about to charge at the very moment she could.

"Come on, you ugly fierfek. I'll make a bag out of you with my legs if I have to!" she cursed at the two lizards. With one strike, they both charged, springing Yang into action. When they pounced, she shifted left and right, dodging both of them. After they landed, Yang prepared for another jump with a wide grin on her face, filled with battle-fuelled joy. The next one jumped, but Yang did so as well, up in the air and landed a powerful kick on the other lizard, sending it back.

Ren was still trapped within the grip of the howler on him. It was biting non-stop, trying to aim for his neck. Amidst the wild sensation of violent hunger, he shifted through the heat, trying to get the reptile to bite his binders. His arms moved with what little room, aiming for the creature's jaws while balancing his own caution for his survival.

After a moment of being at death's doorstep, Ren finally managed to grab onto the lizard's mouth and quickly jam the binders into it. Suddenly felt like it was being attacked, the howler panicked, snapping viciously and blindly until, finally, the shackles cracked right off, freeing Ren's arms and giving him a better chance at fighting.

He then grabbed the howler with his free hands and threw it off of him. Getting back up, he then looked to find Nora still trying to take on her own howler.

At that moment, Nora was quickly overpowered by the creature, trapping her with its claws, holding her arms down on the floor, so she couldn't budge through. She began to squirm in a panic, struggling to shake off the beast from her. Alas, all efforts were useless before the lizard was about to finally snap.

Suddenly, the lizard was met with a powerful kick from a charging Ren, who flew with his two feet and kicked the howler off of Nora. After saving her, he proceeded to pick her up, gratefully smiling that she was alright. Then, he quickly dispatched the binders' hold on Nora's arms with a powerful chop at the lock in between the cuffs. Irritably, she rubbed her wrists after they were being tightened by the crushing grips of the shackles, before flashing a cheery smile at her saviour.

"Thanks, Ren!" Nora cheered, before they both united against the two lizards.

Meanwhile, Yang was holding it out on her own, still tightened with the shackles around her wrists. She had been dodging the lizards' attacks, one by one, rushing her blood to the maximum limit in an attempt to build up the power within her. Excitement soon turned into fury, anger taking over to fuel the fire in her body. The threat of the howlers' jaws shaking her body to vibrate with resonating force, triggering that inner fire.

Finally, after much build-up, the flame had ignited into a blaze and Yang unleashed her full fury.

"AARGH!" With one full burst of her strength, the shackles came off, splitting in two, all on her own. The bright flash of power pushed the howlers off with a burning wave that heated up their skin to the fullest.

For some reason, as Ren fought on, he felt the same powerful burst of rage swishing through him like the blade of a lightsaber, one that completely threw him off. The power that Yang unleashed had distracted him so much that the howler he was fighting had jumped on him while he couldn't sense for it. Struggling to throw the lizard off, he braved the jaws and claws while coming to terms with what just happened. Unfortunately, juggling between comprehension of the sudden burst in his body and fighting the howler was proving to be more difficult than he could handle. He was about to have the reptile tackle him down when Nora came along and bashed the howler away from him. Saved, Ren gave her a grateful smile.

Still, he couldn't help but feel baffled by how Yang was able to exert such a violent force of energy, more so that she had to use her rage to unleash it. What kind of monstrosity was she capable of at that capacity?

With her arms released, Yang was now free to do whatever she needed to teach her foes a lesson. "Yeah! I didn't need some set of teeth to break free." Clenching her fists and twisting her hips as she stretched, she felt absolute liberation to do good against the predators.

When the reptiles couldn't have their way with their prey, they resulted to another trick up their slithery tongues. Gathering up a large breath of air, they then flung their heads up and roared with the top of their lungs. Much to the surprise of the humans, their wailing cries came out as a shrilling, echoing sonic boom that sent a powerful strain to their ears, forcing them to shield themselves from the powerful calls. The roars were so loud that even covering their ears wasn't enough to protect them from the nauseating waves of ultra sound.

All three humans were unable to block out the stunning noise that was disrupting their bodies and minds, shaking their insides with such force that felt like blowing up.

"Now, I can see why they're called howlers!" yelled Yang, not surprisingly unheard by the other two. Forced upon by the shrieking blows, Ren peered around for a way out, looking at one of the gates that released two of the howlers. Looking past the guards, he knew there was only one way to beat the howlers. Run past the two thugs there, use them as distraction to keep the howlers back and escape. While he was reluctant to help kill off the guards, there was much more at stake, and many more lives would be threatened by the relic, should it be in the possession of unlikely beings.

"Quick! This way!" he called out to the others. At once, everyone, with their ears still covered, ran for the doors, while the howlers kept wailing away. In their way, the guards quickly pulled out their stun batons to keep their prisoners at bay. Unfortunately for them, Ren was able to sense their aggression and kicked them down first, fast enough to avoid any response.

Without paying any more attention to them, the three prisoners ran past the fallen guards and left them to deal with the howlers. Once the thugs recovered, they raised their heads, too late to see the lizards come right at them, trapping them down to a gruesome fate…

Out of harm's way, the three prisoners were now free, unchained and ready to run. They reached into the upper catacombs, far away from the arena they were forced to fight in. Now, there was just the rest of the temple to deal with, filled with Torchwick's men, and possibly the man himself. Not much of an easy escape to have, but it was well worth trying, even if they lost their prized weapons.

Stopping to catch their breath, they hid within a small empty chamber to recuperate their wounds, preparing for whatever would lie before them. Their bodies were riddled with scratch marks, stenches of lizard saliva polluting the small atmosphere around them. Not bothered by the smell, they had much more pressing matters at hand.

"We've got to find the courtyard before Torchwick gets away." said Yang. "That money is mine for the taking."

"So is that artefact." sighed Ren. No point hiding the relic, he thought. With their hands freed, they now had to focus on leaving the temple with their respective items in check.

"I got a score to settle with those bastards." growled Yang, smashing her fist into her other palm. Beside her, Nora had the same idea, only with an extra incentive to her quest for payback.

"Let's rough them up and get our weapons back!" she shouted. Her hammer was one thing she could never leave behind… and Ren, of course. Anyone who dared to steal it from her was going to get the ultimate smackdown, ready to be flattened to a pulp.

"No." Suddenly, Ren interrupted. "Our task is to find the relic and escape." Nora began to swell up with disappointment, accompanied with shock that he would think of separating her with her little toy.

"What about my hammer?!" gasped Nora.

"Our weapons are unimportant, Nora. What **is** important is finding the relic and leaving this temple." explained Ren, not doing anything to quell her attachment. "Besides, we can always find a new one for you." As Nora sulked for the loss of her hammer, which she could easily break down in tears, Yang felt rather agitated by the lack of insight into Ren's plan. Not only did she feel for the girl's loss, but she was more concerned about the absence of proper gear. She didn't even care if her own weapons were lost to the gang, just the money that she rightfully owned.

"Are you serious?" she exclaimed. "How do you suppose we fight Torchwick and his boys if we don't have anything to use? We could barely handle those howlers with only our bare hands, so what makes you think we can take on a full arsenal of blasters without any of our own?"

"We don't need to rely on the physical means to make ends meet. There is always more than one way to fight." assured Ren, but it only made it worse for Yang to comprehend.

"You expect me to believe that we can just go right through them without any weapons at all?"

"It would be easy for someone who just charges in recklessly with anger." Ren silently told her. The things Torchwick said about her now provided him a merit to be warier of her power. He did not know what to make of the mysterious power that she was able to use. Whatever it was, it made her far too dangerous to be followed around.

"Excuse me?" It hit Yang's nerve very quickly. Her temper, as Ren anticipated, flared, building up immense anger at his words.

"I'm sorry, Yang. But you're simply too volatile to have around." admitted Ren, without resisting or giving in to her threatening glare.

"Oh really?" defended the smuggler, eyes blinking red. "I'm a threat? How am I the threat if you're suggesting a blind assault on Torchwick and the Syndicate?"

"Please, understand." Then, Ren tried to slap some sense into Yang, trying to give her a reason to listen. Unbeknownst to him, however, he hadn't realized that his own voice was starting to build up to a slightly more intense level, still calm but definitely rising. "This mission is far too important for us to fail. If Torchwick gets that artefact sold, we may never be able to find it ever again. It will fall into the wrong hands and will cause untold destruction. Who knows what it will do to the galaxy?"

"Do you really think that the Force is going to just make everything go spinning around, out of control, all with a simple snap of a finger?" As Yang argued further, she snapped her finger to emphasize on her point. "You honestly think there's this mystical power that can change everything it so desires?"

"Far more than a smuggler's luck."

"At least I'm not some darn monk who blindly believes in a power that doesn't exist!"

"ERGH!"

 **SMASH!**

"Can the two of you shut up for a moment?!" Suddenly, the two were stopped by a loud bash on the rock wall, caused by an angered Nora, who had her head down and her fist planted right into it.

At once, Yang and Ren remained silent, stunned by the amount of aggravation Nora had over their discussion. The girl hissed hard, head spinning around and grinding her brain to ultimate stress. Seeing two friends arguing on and on just didn't sit well for her, even if she was the one who loved a good beating.

"Ugh… my brain…" she groaned, rubbing the temples of her head. "You two need a timeout." She stomped her way to the empty chair at the corner, crossing her arms and sitting down, breathing heavily with anger.

Still fathoming the fit of temper loss from Nora, Yang and Ren ceased their hostile differences and started to fix things about the escape. It was then that they knew; they had to stop fighting each other or they were to be doomed to be overrun and dealt much worse than before. Petty arguments of belief could only get them so far.

"She's right. There's no point arguing when we're pressed for time." admitted Ren. Yang nodded in response, silently agreeing that there was no use ranting anymore. The monk's head then turned to Nora, defeated in his resolve to make things right. "Perhaps we can clear the courtyard and then go back and find your hammer."

"Yay!" Nora cheered, hugging Ren in a tight embrace, much to his stress.

"Okay. So, we can move on from here?" said Yang.

"That's the plan." agreed Ren.

"That artefact must mean a lot to you guys, huh?" With her anger subsided, Yang felt she was being too brash about her argument, now understanding the value of this relic to the two of her new friends. She didn't have to do anything with it; she just felt it was necessary to align her desires with their own, since they were facing the same direction and against the same enemy. If both sides are willing to move to that same path, then there was no harm in joining forces.

"The whole galaxy depends on it." confirmed Ren, choosing to remain devoted to the relic and its meaning to the Force.

"Whether I choose in your magical mumbo jumbo or not, that isn't going to change the fact that Torchwick is up there, ready to depart with both of our goals in his grasps." accepted Yang, satisfying Ren and Nora as she pledged her support to them.

"Agreed." noted Ren. Their differences finally resolved, the three had now banded together, against the crime boss himself. Whether or not they were going to end up having their weapons back in their grasps, they could only hope that their more important possessions were still intact and had not departed. There was no more bickering about what is real and what isn't; all that mattered was the here and now.

"If we work together, then we can secure the courtyard without any trouble." said Yang. "I can always snatch a blaster up from any guard we find."

"Good. Then that settles it." Ren confirmed. "Grab whatever arms we can and storm the courtyard."

"It's not going to be easy." Yang sighed with the shake of her head.

"It would be easier if I had my hammer. They just had to take it!" Nora exclaimed, livid to the bone over the loss of her hammer. The anger built up as her thoughts lingered on seeing her prized weapon being mishandled by the people who kept it. She pictured Torckwhick's pretty face in front of her, his smug look then smashed to a million pieces by an imaginary fist. "If they mess with my hammer, there… will… be… PAIN!"

"Ease yourself, Nora." Ren tried to calm her down, but as he knew, there was no taming Nora Valkyrie when she loses herself over the hammer.

"Oh no! I'm getting my baby back!" Fists clenched and frustration to the max, Nora brushed right through the others and walked out the door, leaving Yang and Ren in silence.

Ren crossed his arms, sighing out his breath. Predictable as Nora's temper tantrums were, he just couldn't find any way to stop them, always losing her to act on her emotions and to do who knew what mayhem she could cause. But, amidst the blind violence and unwavering force of fury, he felt that there laid a soul that was only doing what needed to be done, even if it was against his own ideals; even if it was all for a mere magnetic hammer.

"She certainly surprises me sometimes." Ren confessed with a smile.

"How so?" asked Yang, eyebrow raised up with a quizzical look.

"She just solved an ideological crisis with her voice alone." Though he said his answer, Ren couldn't really pick out just how Nora was able to end the argument so well by just shouting. Sometimes, the Force leaves many miracles, especially those from unlikely places.

"I guess that's why you keep her around." deduced Yang.

"Partially." admitted Ren. Somehow, his voice, while apparently half-hearted, gave out a knowing tone that even Yang could feel. It must had been nice to have someone by your side, challenging whatever the galaxy had for you. It was a luxury that even she couldn't have, not since…

She shook her thoughts out and focused, getting ready to get to Torchwick before he got away with her credits, while her two partners went to get their trinket. She and Ren left the room to catch up to Nora, hoping she wouldn't go far enough to do something foolish before they even started.

* * *

Torchwick couldn't be any happier with his schemes. Not only did he reclaim a small portion of his spice earnings back from the Yellow Rancor, but also scoring another gig to earn favour from the Hutts, by delivering the beast to them, shackled and caged.

There couldn't be a finer moment that this. All he hoped was that nothing could go wrong.

The crime boss was strolling along the courtyard, towards his ship. All around him, his men were loading up his cargo into their ships, heaving up large crates and chests looted from the temple to be transported to his bases across his criminal network. Such was the business plan for Torchwick; sell off more than just his usual doses of spice to collectors across the galaxy, and earn a bonus pay or serve as a backup source of funds should his main goods be tarnished.

But this time, he hit the motherlode with the temple's treasures. Old pots and vases, while still stained with dirt and dust, still sported the bizarre patterns that signified the culture of the B'omarrs; a rare find for the black market. There were also boxes that contained glass jars, each containing preserved brains of monks that had long expired; perfect for selling off to surgeons and other weird beings. The biggest prize among them all were the discarded 'junk' that the monks had sacrificed and dumped deep in the treasury; useless to them, completely profitable to Torchwick.

As the gang loaded up their stuff, Roman boarded his own ship, where Neo was waiting at the pilot seat. His fancy luxury yacht, 'borrowed' from SoroSuub, took up almost a third of the courtyard, with its bronze-coloured plating gleaming throughout the hull.

Roman pulled the co-pilot chair next to Neo with his cane, seating himself down and sliding himself back to place. As his assistant locked on the coordinates to their next destination, the boss sat back and relaxed, a big, wicked smile flashing cross his face. He could only imagine the lengths he can go with a new stash of goods, and a promising start to getting on the Hutts' good side. Kicking back with his fedora shadowing over his eyes and a cigarette caught between the tips of his lips, he felt the ship finally ascend, along with his ambitions.

Before long, the yacht had reached top speed and left the courtyard, zooming off to the bleak Teth sky. The two left behind the rest of Torchwick's crew as they continued to load up the cargo into their respective transports.

Eventually, another transport had left, carrying off a bunch of the treasure with it. Two ships remained, almost fully loaded as well. All that was left was a few more of the discarded treasure, left in crates.

One of the loot left to be shipped was a weird object among the treasure. Atop one of the crates, a chalice rested above it. Built with claw-like crests on it, with red crystals embedded within each one, they were firmly wrapped around a green, glass-like crystal orb that seemed dormant, as if it was supposed to house in sort of power within. The goblet was left out like a sore thumb, while everything else was being packaged into the crates, standing out from the rest of the loot. No one seemed to be bothered to check it out, never mind keeping it in one of the containers to be loaded into the ships.

But just in time to check out the loading, Yang, Nora and Ren were already watching the men carry up the storage, just after Torchwick left the courtyard. They hid themselves behind the makeshift scrap barricades that the Syndicate had cobbled together, taking out whatever guards behind them to get a good view of the operations.

"It looks like they're getting ready to scuttle the place." suggested Yang, watching crates of cargo being hauled into one of the ships. "Good. We can steal one of their ships and head back to our own." As they surveyed further, they checked the loot that was left out at the moment. Crate after crate, they could find all sorts of junk to be sold throughout the galaxy. Then, suddenly, a striking sight was to be upheld when Yang spotted a rather peculiar set of familiar tools that were left out from the rest; all of which the three recognized. A pair of shotgun pistols, hung up from a leather harness on a weapon stand, with two bronze daggers underneath it, set up the same way. And at the bottom, to Nora's overjoy, a large metal hammer rested sideways on the ground.

"Are you serious, Torchwick?" she blurted out exasperatedly. "Did you just leave our weapons behind?" While she was relieved to see their arsenal in check, the fact that Torchwick did not bother to handicap them from any chance they had was almost too ludicrous.

"Agreed. It's quite unwise." added Ren.

"Or maybe they're trying to coax us into getting them and spring the trap?" Out of the blue, Nora jumped in and gave her own suggestion, much to the surprise of the other two. "What? I can make observations, too!"

Taking another good look at the courtyard, Yang tried to look for the big man himself, only to find no one of the sort, not even the little wretch who follows him around.

"Darn. I don't see Torchwick anywhere." she uttered with waning hope.

"He must have fled the temple by now." Ren evaluated. Such a fact made Yang clench a fist in quiet disappointment, begrudgingly sickened that she had lost the money she rightfully earned from… well, taking a bit from him. Yeah, she sure was the one to talk about unfair business. Still, Torchwick lost the spice to her for his lack of proper security, so serves him right, she thought.

"There goes my money…" she sighed, suppressing her anger, eyes flickering back to the calm, lilac colour. Her chance for a proper payment to Gorga the Hutt has been snuffed right out of her hands like a dimmed candle at the last moments of the flame's life.

"I'm sorry." said Ren, placing a hand on Yang's shoulder. The smuggler calmed herself down with her friend's support. She could only hope that whatever was left on the courtyard was sellable enough to pay the debt, and it had to be done quickly, or a bounty hunter could show up before she could get the chance.

"Ren! Look!" Suddenly, Nora slapped her hand on Ren's shoulder, shaking him wildly, to his chagrin. "That shiny thing!" Following where Nora pointed at, he looked and saw what caught her eye. His own eyes widened at the sight of the dark chalice that was standing there, above a crate, waiting to be picked up by the next person. At once, a green light flashed in his shirt. As he took it out, he moved it in the direction of the goblet and immediately saw a bright light ray shot out towards it, confirming the identity of the object. Quickly hiding the amulet, he went down to tell his friends of the discovery.

"It's the artefact. The amulet detects its energy." Yang didn't really get how important the artefact was to them, but if some monk was involved in its search, then it could be quite valuable to an unexplainable extent.

"If Torchwick is so keen on selling it, then why didn't he just take it with him?" inquired Yang.

"Because he somehow knows of its power, even if there's not much to go by." explained Ren. "He knows I'm a Guardian of the Whills, and any relic involved is a sure sign of the Force in it."

"So… he just lets it be under the protection of his goons. And if it ever blows up in their faces, they'd be cannon fodder." Yang made a 'tsk' in the middle. Even she wouldn't be that dirty to sacrifice his men to a supposedly explosive fate. "Low blow, Roman."

"Alright, so what's the plan?" asked Nora. "Storm right in or do it quietly?"

"Either one is not going to guarantee a proper clearance of the area." whispered Yang to herself before looking at them. "We should split up and take 'em out. Ren, you go quiet and Nora and I go loud? We'll distract them while you get your little prize." Yang finalized the strategy, earning the approval of the both of them.

"Solid plan…" Ren nodded his head, willing to give it a shot. As they prepared, Nora looked over to see what was going now. Her eyes were on her precious hammer, ready to be picked up and returned to Mommy. But the joy was short-lived when one of the men then came over and bent down towards the hammer. A sudden sense of vile energy grew within, her nails clutching onto the barricade like claws and her eyes about to burn. The brewing hatred was felt by the quieter monk next to her, who also felt the attachment of her hammer mixed within that anger.

"Uh oh." murmured Ren, concern seeping in.

"What?" Yang asked.

"Ergh…" Nora's growl was silent, but Ren could feel it growing louder, coupled with the burning fire that was building.

"When someone else touches Nora's hammer, she goes into a very unhealthy state of rage, almost barbaric to its core." The way Ren put it, Yang didn't need to look whether the hammer was being tampered with; it was already plain from the look on Nora's furious face.

"Not good…"

"AARGH!" The full power of an angry Valkyrie, protective of her hammer, surged up with explosive volumes. At once, everyone in the courtyard was tuning into the raging music of Nora's scream. But before they could find out what was going on, the woman was already running up towards them with a grand fist ready for the man who dared to grab her baby.

In one swift instant, Nora landed a solid uppercut up the man's chin, flinging him up before she delivered one more powerful punch that sent him flying away to the ground. The rest of the gang was in utter shock by the sudden power of the girl who came out of nowhere, stricken with fear as they saw her lift up her hammer, still livid to the bone. Her hands were firmly gripped around the thin hilt, like a knight longing to hold his treasured sword.

"Mine!" The feisty girl roared with fierce vexation. Her anger may have shaken the thugs with her thundering presence, but it wouldn't last as they grabbed for their blasters to deal with her.

"Well, that's one way to start a fight." commented Yang, with a whistle of awkward surprise. At the ready, Ren stood up and prepared to jump over the barricade to back Nora up, reclaim his own weapons and save the artefact from the wicked hands of Roman Torchwick. On it with the action, Yang slammed her fists together, also willing to give the bashing to the men she so needed to bring down.

"Then, let's end it." Afterwards, the two joined up with Nora, running towards her right before the firefight began.

Nora's ferocity started as soon as Yang and Ren entered the fray, showing no mercy by swinging her hammer up to strike her way through the crowd. The blasters started storming around, just as the raging carrot-top blew forward and pummelled the first thug she met. With one heavy toss of her strength, she flung the hammer up with a loud, strong boom that threw him off into the air. Two more men aimed their blasters from afar and, while still shaken with fright, managed to direct their shots towards Nora. With surprising strength, she twirled her hammer with equally astonishing precision, blocking the blaster fire. Plus, each shot hitting the head of the hammer ended up being absorbed into its core, soaking up all the plasma and converting the collected energy into an increasingly powerful vibration that made the weapon even stronger.

Once she collected enough energy into her hammer, Nora slammed her hammer down, shattering the ground below her and creating a massive shockwave that shook everyone and even the ships around her off their feet.

By the time the shaking stopped, Yang and Ren jumped right in, snatching their weapons off the stand and running for the rest of the standing men. The former's shotgun pistols were back in her hands, ready to fire up as Yang ran for cover and fired back at the thugs. A flurry of bolts flew for her, forcing her to duck down until they had to cool off. Once the firing lessened, she ran out from her cover and charged forward, firing her pistols with rapid succession.

Ren covered the other end, choosing to phase through the rounds of plasma bolts like an assassin, flying through until he was well within reach of the thugs. In close range, he swung his newly reacquired daggers and hooked them onto one of the men's blasters before snatching it off his grasp. The monk then kicked the man in the face, knocking him out. The way of the Guardian prevented Ren from committing any murder on his enemies, resolving to letting them awake to regret another day.

The other thugs fired on the monk, but Ren then moved his daggers at such rapid pace, spinning his daggers to catch every shot that was fired at him. After deflecting the bolts, he then raced forward with grace, meeting them before giving them several punches to the chest and then a finishing blow to their faces.

When Yang got close enough to a thug, she grabbed him by the neck and brought him down. Without a moment's hesitation, she gave the gunman one powerful blow to the head, crashing him down on the floor with crippling force.

Behind Yang, however, a thug was jumping up to bring her down, stun baton in hand. The smuggler noticed his move, too late to respond as he came closer to stunning her down. Then, from out of nowhere, a shift in the wind as a quick save from Ren snatched the attacker away, pinning him down and jab the back of his dagger hilts repeatedly onto the body, hitting up his weak points in his body before ending it with one powerful blow. After finishing off the thug, Ren rose up from the fallen man, while Yang walked up to him with her hand to her hip, impressed over his quick reflexes.

"Not bad." she complimented, earning only a nod from Ren. Just then, the monk turned to see that the chalice, previously placed on the crates, was absent. Alarmed, he quickly spotted one of the men, carrying the artefact in one hand, making a beeline towards one of the ships.

"They're getting away with the artefact!" called Ren. He needed to stop the gang from seizing the relic, or it would most certainly end up in much darker hands than Torchwick; the hands of the unknown. Who knew how long he had to find it without having to face trouble again?

But as he was about to run forward and chase after the thug, he caught the sight of two golden barrels, stretched out by the arms of the smuggler. Yang kept her eyes on the man, hoping to stop him from getting away from another prized possession.

"Careful! One hit and it could end up in disaster." warned Ren, not wanting to know what would happen should she make the wrong shot.

"It's already been a disaster." But Yang never cared if some cup was going to unleash an all-powerful storm. That was not going to stop her from ending the fight and taking what belonged to her and her friends. All it took was one shot and it was all over, no holding back anymore.

Her trigger finger pulled back, firing a single explosive round from the pistol's grenade launcher. The mini grenade flew off the weapon and headed for the man running off with the artefact. Ren braced for the worst, hoping that the sudden decision to bombard the man wouldn't tamper with the artefact's sacred but unforetold power; whatever that might be.

The grenade exploded on the ground, just enough to blast the running thug off his feet and sent him flipping towards the ship, crashing face first onto the hull. Flopping down, the unconscious victim dropped the chalice from his hand, threatening to crash it onto the stone floor. Without wasting time, Ren ran to catch the object from hitting the ground, jumping right for the artefact. The chalice was about inches away from uncertain destruction when Ren's hands finally reached it, snatching it at the right moment and saving the trouble of finding out its raw power the hard way.

Grabbing it close to his chest, Ren slid across the pavement, bracing for the hard landing and safely securing the chalice in his care. Afterwards, he stood back up and took it into his hands, finally obtaining the accomplishment he had strived for.

Yang walked towards the monk, leaving Nora to finish off the last of the thugs with another knock of her hammer down on them.

"Sorry. I had no choice." apologized Yang. "If I didn't do anything, he would have run off to space before I could tear that ship apart." Ren said nothing, only giving Yang a knowing nod. While he was pushed hard after saving the chalice from breaking apart, he wasn't so distressed by the reckless stunt she pulled as before. He was still uncomfortable with her decision, but at the same time, he stopped extending his doubts towards her and accepted the path that was quickly laid before him.

As Nora wrapped up by throwing the last thug still standing, she hopped right over to meet up with Yang and Ren, happily counting up her count of bad guys roughed up. While the battle was already over in a few moments, the three were now left to manage what was left of the scene. A few good ships and loads of cargo waiting to be shipped off throughout the galaxy.

All the better for Yang to sell off the goods while Ren and Nora would be able to fly a ship back home.

From his moments here in Teth, Ren recounted what had transpired. True, that Yang Xiao Long had been a force too violent to his liking, she seemed to possess a spirit of confidence that balanced out her carelessness and tendency to explode in anger. Despite her disbelief in greater powers, she ironically went for a rather miraculous option of throwing her fate to chance, executing a plan not with a strategic plan, but a sure one.

No matter what Yang believed was true or not, he felt that the Force had played its part once again. Nothing ever happens by accident, and this Yellow Rancor certainly proved the notion in the most volatile of situations.

* * *

After taking what she needed, with Ren and Nora's help, Yang managed to clear up a good amount of cargo and a ship just right for her. The two residents of Jedha also took a ship for themselves, with only one piece of cargo meant for the mission. Together, they escaped the temple before anyone inside would notice and pursue. Far away from prying eyes, they managed to regroup to a nearby cliff, landing side-by-side above the clouds.

On top of the towering cliff, Yang counted the amount of loot she managed to carry within her ship. Her new collection of goods was checked out, unpackaged one by one and immediately placed back in, revealing all the contraband she had obtained.

After scanning through most of the cargo, Yang picked up one of many assault rifles packed in, rubbing the shiny abreniux alloy surface. The design was of a bullpup rifle, with the energy charge loaded at the back of the blaster. Checking the firing modes, she determined that it could fire a burst of three rounds per shot. The white and silver texture of the blaster was an easy indicator of what manufacturer it came from, hailing from the lesser known Whitux Arms Conglomerate which made many blasters for security forces across the Mid Rim. Other than being a guard rifle, its endurance in battle made it on high demand by many among the black market, due to its high protected status.

The rest of the cargo she checked out held many of similar value; weapons that cannot be found within places of lower standards, ripe for a proper selling with the help of smuggling. Just right for the business, as she thought with a grin of opportunistic glee.

In a miraculous stroke of luck, she had managed to snatch a whole arsenal of weapons and electronics, all built for the battlefield. It seemed that Torchwick was massing up another load of arms to fuel whatever cause needed this many weapons. If he was running a whole new scheme of arms dealing at such a large scale, then it must have had something to do with the war that was brewing elsewhere in the galaxy.

Whatever the course may be, Yang had given herself a new alternative to her money problems. Thankfully, she had a list of contacts whom she kept tabs on, who would love to take a look at her inventory. And if she could keep doing the same thing over and over again, maybe she could do a lot more than just taking jobs from others. Maybe, once she paid off her debt to Gorga the Hutt, she could find a better chance out there, selling all kinds of contraband from the likes of Torchwick and the other crime syndicates. No one to hold you back and mark you for bounty hunters. Just do enough to lay low and maintain a stable profit. Now that was going to get her somewhere.

For now, she was about to deliver what she had with her, but not before going out of the ship to bid her comrades farewell.

Ren and Nora were both gathered up in front of their own ship, ready to depart back home and return the newly possessed relic to the Temple of the Kyber for safekeeping. The former scanned the chalice, taking in the black obsidian orb that was held together by the claws around the rim of the cup. Since he wasn't Force-sensitive, he couldn't tell just what power laid within that dark orb. By feeling around it, however, he did feel an ominous rush that crept up his spine like a brief winter breeze, even more chilling than the mountainous wind that blew over them. It did have some dark aura around it, just enough for a Force feeler like Ren to feel its mysterious coldness.

Whatever it was really capable of and what would the Jedi do with such a relic, he knew that it was safer within the confinements of the Temple in Jedha. Nora just watched the shiny surface of the chalice, eager to grab hold of it and play around with it, only to have her grasps slapped away by Ren, much to her disappointment. They were soon joined by Yang, who was about to say her goodbyes to the both of them.

"Well, I may have lost a good bunch of the money." she said. "But there's still these boxes of arms I can sell. This will be enough to pay my debt to Gorga. Maybe a bit of extra cash for a new speeder."

"What did you do to anger Gorga the Hutt anyway?" asked Nora, puzzled by what had caused this whole debacle for money in the first place.

"Sorry, hammerhead. That's a story for another time." stopped Yang with a wink. "You sure you don't wanna fill me in on that relic of yours?"

"And that is a story that can never be told to anyone." reminded Ren, not eager to share anything to anyone who didn't even have a fraction of knowledge about the Force, no matter how noble Yang could be.

"Alright. Your loss." A simple shrug of her shoulders was all they needed to know. Once they were done, Yang reached for her pocket, and took a few small golden chips that she stole from one of the fallen guards, throwing them over to Nora as the carrot-top caught the credits.

"Here. Have a bit of my win." Yang said with a bright smile.

"You're the best, girl!" cheered Nora.

"I know." After turning around, the blonde smuggler was about to part ways with the two, when she was called by Ren.

"Are you sure you don't want to follow us back to Jedha? We can find you a new ship to… borrow." he offered, though he secretly hoped Yang would take it literally and be a little more civilized when finding a new means of transportation to wherever she lived.

"Nah. I'll just use this one." assured Yang, knocking onto her ship with a few clean bangs of steel. "It's not half bad, you know?" Her feet finally stepped onto the boarding ramp, ready to disembark after giving the two a wave's goodbye.

"Farewell, Yang." Ren called out to her. "May the Force be with you." As Yang entered the ship, she closed the ramp, finally disappearing from their sights and prepared to leave.

Then, Ren couldn't help but feel something sudden. Something cold and lonely, like a repressed memory. He couldn't tell what it was that gave off such a striking feeling, but there was something that told him that he had said words that may have hurt someone, as far as his senses could tell.

"So… what now?" interrupted Nora, shaking Ren off his thoughts as they returned to the real problem at hand.

"We return the relic to the Kyber Temple." answered Ren, holding up the goblet. "Who knows what power this could hold? It is best if it remains under our protection."

" **Our** protection?" Nora's eyes got bigger at the mention of her inclusion. Could it be then Ren finally trusted her enough to be helpful in his quests? Could it finally be that-?!

"The **Guardians'** protection." Ren put an end to her hopes and dreams, causing her to pout in frustration.

"Hmph!"

"I just hope more artefacts resurface for us to collect." he then added, ignoring Nora's gesture. "If anyone like Torchwick is having any plans to steal these ancient relics, then there could be chaos." True enough, the galaxy was filled with countless wonders and terrors, many of which could spell utter terror by those who could unleash havoc throughout. It was up to many gifted souls, Jedi or any other noble Force feeler, to keep the peace and preserve as much of the sacred arts as possible by preventing them from falling in the wrong hands.

"We'll hammer them down. All the way!" Soon, Nora slammed her fist down, just as eager to helping Ren, no matter how hard things got. Despite him reminding her constantly of her reckless excitement, he could admit that she was far more help to him, as she had always been, whether he liked it or not.

"Let's go home, Nora." he said with a warm smile, taking Nora with him to the ship back to Jedha.

* * *

Meanwhile, as Yang closed the doors, she peered over to the controls, hand close to her chest and face falling sorrowful.

The words hit Yang like an iron brick, right through her flaming heart. The words she did not wish to hear, sending her to a cold moment of ill sadness and shattered memories. Her heart sank as fast as ice would melt within the scorching Tatooine suns.

While she walked towards the pilot seat, passing through all the plundered cargo that could earn her tons, she quietly kept her sadness in before she sat down to begin her ascension to the skies. Her hands gripped onto the control sticks with tightening power, almost willing to break them apart.

If it hadn't been for those words, she wouldn't have to go back to where it had all gone wrong. Throughout her time working with Lie Ren, she had to force out the painful reminders of her past; the moments that threw her away from her old life…

 _May the Force be with you…_

"It hasn't been so far… It never will…" As the ship took off, Yang shed a small tear, anger slowly burning up before speeding the ship up and disappearing, hoping that the sadness would go away, never to be reminded of what had happened long before.

The day that she left home was to be forgotten, the family that she lost, was to be left alone to disappear from her life altogether…

All because of some mystical curse that tore her and those she loved apart…

 **THE END**


	25. Of Fools and Criminals

**A/N~ Extremely slow in the updates, I know… I've been coming up with new ideas that I want to push out in a steady pace, but they will be up sooner or later**

 **However, I do see a very good rise of followers in the story, so thank you guys so much for your attention XD**

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 **There will be more, alright XD**

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 **More shall be revealed… in time, my young Padawan ;)**

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 **Thanks so much for sticking by for the ride, dude/dudette!**

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* * *

 **Chapter 17: Of Fools and Criminals**

 ** _Sometimes, help is found in the most unlikely places and the most unpleasant of people…_**

 _Plans foiled!_

 _The growing criminal force that is the Torchwick Syndicate has been dealt a powerful blow when Yang Xiao Long, Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie seized a large shipment of their weapons. Left to answer the questioning demands of his lost goods, Roman Torchwick himself had retreated to one of his bases in the Backwatt Sector to regroup and reassess his lost power._

 _All the while, that same base held a prisoner who had messed with the wrong crime boss._

* * *

Base #62

Backwatt Sector,

Corminus System,

Outer Rim Territories,

Seventy bases he had rightfully earned through his grand cash cache and absolute charm. Of all of them, Roman Torchwick had to choose this particular one in the Corminus System to head over to. An old, derelict outpost that once belonged to a Republic garrison over the system, now refurbished to suit his purposes. Unfortunately, after his last scheme at business failed him there, the old base was deemed a waste of space, unnecessary to his plans and worth nothing of strategic value.

But things have changed when another abrupt end to another plan forced him to relocate somewhere where the Hutts wouldn't come after him, closer to Republic territory before any effective negotiations between the two organizations would take place, as far as Torchwick had heard.

At least, if there was one place to vent out his frustrations, it was in that old outpost, trancing furiously about in the command bridge, livid because of a hole in his grand scheme. His angry walks had earned the people around him, save for Neo, much to worry about for their sakes.

"How could they have lost three nosy trespassers and the rest of my cargo?!" he shouted, voice charged with rage. "First, my ticket into gaining the favour of the Hutts, and now, my supply of goods to the black market is gone!" His arms flailed with rushing fury, his legs continued to skip across the room, huffing out a mixture of breaths and curses.

The recent failure to hold the Yellow Rancor and two more commoners and use them to form relations with the Hutts had himself back to square one. Not only that, but the apparent loot that he and his men had gathered from across the Outer Rim had been snatched away from him by that same blonde punk.

Neo sighed, rolling her eyes as she quickly pulled out a chair for her boss. With a firm hold on him and a pat on the back, she gently placed the man down on the chair while he still fumed. Secretly though, she wondered why this whole thing was making him throw a fit. After all, not all of the cargo was gone; there was still a good amount of it left in the courtyard. Sure, a lot of the goods stolen were weapons and other gear, there was still enough left to compensate for. And there was still a huge portion of the spices he had left, all there in his flagship, waiting at the Corporate Sector for him to deliver the spices and sell.

If it were up to her, she could have very well sold what they had left and still try and make a good deal out of it all. But there was one problem; Torchwick wanted **everything**. That meant a plan had to be followed through and yielded the best results. That was his game, and one little slip-up, especially when things were about to come to a great end, was sure to ruin his mood.

"Never mind. The plan proceeds as normal. We still have the spices, after all." groaned Torchwick, still mad about the minor setbacks. "Send a note to everyone present; the next time anyone fails me at some capacity, they're going to end up… at the other end of my cane!" he shouted with his cane up high, ready to clobber the next rat who dared give him more bad news to chew up on.

Now, he had to worry about being chased by the Hutts for leaving them to guess what sort of rubbish had he played the whole time. Since the relations between them were sour, Roman knew those slug-brains would send in their forces to get him to talk, and the last thing he needed was to have the full force of the Hutt Council on him. So, he developed a backup plan to throw them off his back; sell off the outpost he was in and leave it abandoned again.

While it was essential to maintain this old outpost to manage his schemes in the system, the way things were in Corminus, anyway, had Torchwick planning to get rid of it for a while now. He had a way to trap the Hutts into investigating the old station, so that the Republic could be fooled into thinking that Jabba was over-extending his limits into Republic territory. That could chase them off while he regrouped in a more comfortable base to recuperate his business plans.

Soon, the silence lingered as the crime boss cooled off. The order was already given to the whole base to pack up and prepare to leave, so all was left was for Neo to collect any confidential information from the computer logs and databanks before finally joining in the evacuation.

Before that, however, Torchwick needed to resolve something minor.

The doors opened up before them, bringing in a rather puckish, dirty man into the room. The clothes he wore, ragged and filthy, marred by tiny spots of sand that was picked up from his time in a previous location. Torchwick welcomed the man in apparently high spirits, despite his bad mood.

"Hey, boss." greeted the man, nervously.

"Rompon!" bellowed Roman. "My good ol' junk dealer. How's business in Espa?"

"G-good, sir." the man stuttered. He was among Torchwick's more obscure elements of his business missions, set on Tatooine to launch minor thefts and rough-ups, all to gain a footing against the Hutts, in case something happened between them. And now that there was a serious screw-up waiting to happen between the Council and the Syndicate, there was no more use running business on the planet.

"Don't toy around with me, Rompon. Business on Tatooine is never good for us. Ain't that right, Neo?" laughed Torchwick, snapping a finger at Neo, who nodded back. He then wrapped his arm around the back of Rompon, who shook in the presence of his deadly boss. "The Hutts have a way of making things difficult for me and my crew, so there's really no point sugar-coating their bantha crap, right?

But who cares about some desert Hutt-filthy planet? I need you to come with us, so we can get to work on other matters."

"Right, boss!" acknowledged the junk dealer. Just as he moved on, however, he turned back around, remembering something he had for Torchwick. "Oh! But I do have one little gift for you." Torchwick's attention was gained, intrigued to seeing what Rompon had managed to fish out from his fruitless venture in Mos Espa.

The man pulled out his datapad, allowing Torchwick a good look at the screen to see what was offered up for him. On the screen, he saw the top view of a small room that, from what he knew, was a prison cell. In that room, on a bench attached to the wall, sat a lone girl, head down and her arms down on her thighs, seemingly in depressed hopelessness. But what Torchwick found very interesting about her was something on her head that made her a more special case.

Two cat ears. And this was no Zygerrian, Roman thought. This girl was definitely human, so it could only mean one thing…

"Oh… A Faunus, eh?" said Roman, a thought cooking up already in his head. "You don't see those everyday, Neo." That thought soon evolved into something unexpected. He took interest in this sudden change of development, for a Faunus within his grasps had brought an old idea he had been saving for a while now. "That gives me a good chance to deal with the White Fang. I'm sure they'll love to accept a potential recruit into their ranks."

No doubt, the White Fang would prove a valuable asset towards a small part of the galaxy that Torchwick had targeted long before. Running things in Remnant would prove an extra bonus to his criminal empire, while he ran the main businesses in the Outer Rim. All he needed was an incentive for them to consider any relations, and that meant, as he heard, fresh recruits for their cause. Any effective move the White Fang made would allow him a large entrance into Anima and make contact with the black market there.

"Keep an eye on her. She'll be quite useful once we contact Sierra Khan and get things rolling." he ordered one of the men operating on a computer, before giving himself a reminder not to repeat a past mistake. "Oh, and let's not rush things until we are sure we can arrange something. We must load her into our ships and get to our other bases, or we'll risk losing another grand opportunity."

"And I get a raise?" Rompon interjected, slightly putting Roman off his edge. Honestly, was money really the greatest motivator in his reign?

"You will definitely have a raise." he said, sarcastically. "A raise of **this** …" He then pointed his cane at the dealer, frightening him in the process. One look down the cane's gun barrel was all that was needed to silence anyone who had ideas of overextending their hopes in the Syndicate.

"P-point taken, boss." Instantly, Rompon gave in. With the Faunus prisoner kept in the cell, it was time for Torchwick and his gang to start moving out and setting the station to detonate. Facing Neo one more time, the command was given to set things in motion.

"Make the preparations and pack up. The Hutts can have this joint, for all I care."

* * *

Trapped once again…

The greatest fear of the Faunus was to be chained up, locked away in some cage where people would hail themselves as masters to hold the leashes on the 'beasts' they were didn't deserve to be called.

In her own cell, Blake didn't have to feel tied down or be held in such a barbaric manner. Here she was, sitting on a prison bench, trapped inside a compressed cell, without any chains and wardens to mistreat her for the past hour. Yet, she still felt like a real animal, locked up and awaiting a horrid fate.

She had been in this sorry state for days now, having to be watched by wardens, who fed her nothing more than stale rations; a nearly spoilt piece of nuna leg and a few bad beans. Not very satisfactory, but she has survived off of worse…

Almost two days since she was captured on Tatooine by what appeared to be a cell of Roman Torchwick's criminal gang, she hadn't been able to resist their hold on her, too weak and too outnumbered to even glare at them. Unconscious when she found herself in her cell, the first faces she saw upon waking up were the disgusting, chuckling facades of men so broiled up in the lavish schemes of a crime boss who promised them all his greatest riches.

Such fools fighting for the benefits of only one man. Much like Adam…

From out of the laser field that prevented her from escaping, she could see two men, a Quarren and a Zutton, both holding carbines, were conversing with each other, apparently gotten word of a mix-up within their ranks. Blake did not look, so that the men could see her stricken face.

"Got word from the boss." she heard the Quarren speak. All she needed were her ears, which, to her disappointment, were freed from the bandana she wore. Judging that the bandana had already been removed by the time she woke up, there wasn't a need to hide. "We seemed to have lost one of our outposts at Teth."

"To the Hutts?" asked the other warden.

"One lone smuggler and two commoners." The two snickered, not even baffled by the fact that their own boss had lost territory to a few bad eggs amongst the underworld.

"So, we have to reroute to another location before he sells the place, huh?" Blake caught word of the plans to relocate, added with more questions over what was to happen to her during this move. "Fine, just as long as Torchwick compensates for the extra mileage."

Once they began to leave, the Zutton guard glared right into the cell, staring wickedly at Blake with his ugly grin.

"You stay here, pet." he taunted. "We'll be sure that our boss will give you your treatment." As he left her, laughing away, Blake ignored the humiliating attitude, choosing to ponder over her thoughts over what was to happen to her.

As she remained hopelessly locked up in her cell, she thought about the journey she had taken since leaving the White Fang.

When she left, she felt that she carried with her the true mission of the organization before everything went dark. Before Sienna Khan was brutally murdered by Adam and branded Blake a traitor, framing her for the downfall of Khan's reign. She was banished from the only place she called home away from home, left alone to find her way.

And now, she was here, locked up by a criminal wannabe to be left with whatever he so desired of Blake. She had to find a way out, to escape the machinations of Roman Torchwick, and get back to fighting corruption and suffering across the galaxy. But there was one problem that was holding her back.

Not that she couldn't escape at all. In fact, she could very well escape on her own and deal with any threat that came her way. But there was something that was missing from her attempts to flee capture that she often relied on to improve her odds.

Her teammates; the brothers of the White Fang who would go all the way to breaking her loose. The brothers who were now lost to the veil rule of Adam Taurus, the one man who she depended on the most. Without them to help her escape, she was far away from her comfort zone, left with little room to think independently.

The longer she lingered, the more time she was wasting before she would be put to good use by the powers that be. She had to wonder how things would have been different if she hadn't been so full of herself before she was captured.

The words from Sun echoed in Blake's mind, reminding her of how he straight up accused her of running away. Did those words run true? Was he right about her trying to leave behind the pain and suffering?

As she thought on, her anger built up, remembering the lives lost during the White Fang's campaign against hatred and discrimination. If she hadn't been so hurt by what she had witnessed back home when Adam slaughtered those Mandalorian soldiers, would things have been better for her? Surely, if she stayed, then no fool would dare touch her under the protection of her brethren and everything would go as planned. She'd stay to fight on and eliminate those who dared to deny her kind the right to…

No. There was no way she would stay behind to be part of the downfall of Faunus kind, no matter how tolerant she was of the heinous acts. The brotherhood she knew was gone when Adam slaughtered those defenceless prisoners. Who knew how many more innocent or helpless lives he brutally ended without mercy? Staying and devoting her life with a monster would be the biggest underdoing she had ever done onto herself.

So, now that she had escaped, she had to ask herself; what would she do now? She clearly wanted to make things right for the galaxy, and yet, she had gone no further than the Outer Rim. She hadn't anything but firstly realize how much was going on for only one community on Dantooine and not much else on Tatooine. In fact, the first instance she was ready to leave, that was all she ever thought about; leaving the planet.

Maybe Sun was right, after all… Maybe she **was** running away. Even when she vowed to help people, she barely did anything of the sort since she left Dantooine.

That trip through her life had now brought back an old flame in mind; her family. Nothing had ever changed since she ran away from them to join those she initially thought with well more worth following. And now that she is alone again, regret was running through her, along with the depressing thought that she could never return to her parents in Menagerie.

Blake dug into her shirt and grabbed the piece of the kalikori she was given earlier, wondering if she had done as she promised the Twi'lek family on Dantooine. Conversely, she felt like she had destroyed herself by running, finding nothing in her pursuit for a cause. What was she supposed to do now? Who could she possibly depend on to save her this time?

Was she going to be alone…?

* * *

In one of the four docking bays of the station, the men of Roman's crime syndicate were crowded around, removing as much of their goods as possible. They hauled large loads of cargo into two old freighters, like a colony of ants marching back and forth to deliver food for their queen. In this case, they may as well felt like ants, all work and no fun.

Torchwick specifically called for them to make no effort to slack off and remove everything that was needed, which in his mind, meant **everything**. An hour was spent on moving the cargo, and the men were slowly losing their strength in the task given.

Save for two men, who watched everything while protecting the doorway that led into the station's interior. Holstering their rifles up close, they may have been given guard duty, but in secret, they rather enjoyed not being part of the clean-up. They stood there, gleefully watching their buddies panting and gasping from the hard work, grateful that their own responsibilities. Yeah, it might have been boring to stand still all the time, but anything was better than breaking a sweat over such mundane assignments. Also, who's going to argue about getting paid more than the grunts of the hard labour?

So, they watched on while everyone else struggled to haul the loads into the ships for evacuation. Though, they had to wonder; where were they going from here? Their boss had many bases throughout the galaxy, even those as close as the Inner Rim. He always a particular task for each and every single outpost or headquarters he went. So, with that in mind, where could they go next, and what was the plan? Not that his personal ambitions mattered, because Torchwick would promise them riches beyond their wildest imaginations, and if anywhere is profitable than the other, they weren't going to back down on a higher pay check.

Suddenly, they stopped thinking about wild dreams of jewels and gold when someone approached them. There was a man, dressed in the usual leather jackets like some of the others. He had a hat on, which had two flaps on both sides, sticking upwards, which hid his rather messy blonde hair. From the looks of things, he may as well had been one of the boys who was supposed to be out there, loading the supplies.

Still, he came up to the two guards and cackled, somewhat mockingly, prompting the guards to walk up with caution.

"Hey there, guys!" the boy cheered.

"Who are you supposed to be?" the first Weequay guard inquired.

"Just came in, fresh from Reytha." the boy cheered.

"Reytha? Isn't that planet Republic territory?" the other human guard spoke in a posh but rough accent.

"Exactly. That's why I'm here. How else can a farm boy like me have an opportunity like this; to be in Roman Torchwick's grace? Republic credits won't do, right?" The two men looked at each other, somewhat tolerant over the boy's claim.

"And what do you want?" the Weequay guard inquisitively demanded. "Shouldn't you be over there throwing in the cargo?"

"I got orders. I have to watch some prisoners down in the detention level." the boy answered, shrugging his shoulders.

"No can do, pal. Torchwick has given you lads orders to get the cargo going. Now, get moving." the other guard warned by pointing his blaster straight at the boy. Despite his initial alarm, he didn't seem to flinch the next second. Instead, he gave them somewhat of a disappointed look, as if he wasn't amused by their display of power. Then, he shrugged his shoulders again, relaxed as he seemed to accept their threats.

"Okay." He then turned around, gladly ending the situation for the two guards. That is; until he decided to play with them again. "But I warn you. If the boss finds out I haven't been stationed down there, under his orders, he might as well know what happened to me." The warning seemed to have done the trick. The two guards flinched, panicked with what he said. To hammer on his nail of a threat, the boy continued on with a final blow; the only way men like those two would succumb to his demands. "Oh, I won't tell about you two. Unless of course, you want to keep your earnings…"

"Hey!" Suddenly, the first guard shouted out, alerting everyone in the bay. The boy in question turned around, still grinning. "You don't get to boss us around! Now get back in there and guard the prison bay!" That was easy, he thought. Just give them a reason to keep their credits earned and they can bend to your will, whatever your intentions were.

"That's more I like it." The boy gloated as he passed the two annoyed guards, entering into the corridor before the doors shut behind him.

"Wait a minute." Then, the first guard remembered something… off. "Prisoners? I thought there was only one." When he was about to delve into his suspicions, the other guard quickly dismissed it, waving his hand out.

"Forget it. He must have not paid attention. Newbies, am I right?"

Once the doors were shut, the boy walked on, looking around the hallways for more guards, just in case he needed more convincing. After a while, he decided that it was time to ditch the disguise. Taking off the very heavy jacket he was forced to wear throughout the trip, he then threw away the hat, revealing the spiky, golden hair. And finally, he pulled the back rim of his pants to release the incriminating furry tail that would have blown his cover. Piling up the clothes he wore over his simpler ones, he threw them all into the nearest garbage chute, where the evidence of his infiltration would be burned away.

He brushed his hair wildly, freeing it of the irritation that the hat caused. He then reached for his back and grabbed hold of his staff, ready to get to work on finding the one person he had to save.

"Man, these guys are so dumb…" Sun chuckled, relishing in the naivety of the common thug. Setting his sights forward, he raced on and search for the prison, where he could find Blake Belladonna.

* * *

For the entire time, Blake continued to think things through. Other than the threatening thoughts of fighting the galaxy on her own, she had to also snap back to reality and think of a way to escape. With her back against the shielded door, she pondered on about the many ways she could use to escape the station and, eventually, Torchwick himself.

She had to be careful. There were still two guards outside, waiting to open the doors and deliver her to Torchwick. She could most definitely defeat them on her own, but once she was free, she had to deal with the rest of the Syndicate inside the station. It wasn't impossible to escape; her odds were only greatly hindered by the numerical factor acting against her.

Still, if that was the way things were, she finally decided that it was the only way she could ever run free and find a place to be in. So, she waited, biding her tie before the guards expose themselves.

However, their attention was about to be directed to something else. Much to Blake's curiosity, she too was about to find out what was to happen next.

"Hey, you guys!" A cry for help, goading the guards to move their heads away, towards the call. "I need some help over here!" Not wanting to lose their hold over the prisoner, the guard on the left gave his comrade the word to move.

"Go check it out." As he did so, the other guard left his post and investigated the problem. He walked past the other empty cells before turning right where the call originated from. Disappearing from sight, he left his partner to wait by for what was happening.

And, a second later, it did…

Crashing sounds were heard from behind the cell, where the guard disappeared, followed by a few grunts that sounded like someone was being punched.

"Huh?!" Raising his rifle, the guard was about to run and accompany his friend to whatever trouble was going on. But before he could move, there he saw the other guard, being thrown across the corridor. Alerted, he unlocked his rifle's safety and prepared to engage. However, just as he moved an inch, the very scum responsible for the attack sprinted from out of the corner and leapt towards him.

"Surprise!" It was too late to see who it was, but all there was for the guard was a foot to the face with the force powerful enough to knock him out of action as he dropped to the floor.

The person who made the jump, landed right in front of the unsuspecting Blake, who jumped at the sight of the man she never thought she'd meet again.

Sun Wukong, fresh from his break-in, spun his staff before locking it back into place, folded behind his back. Turning his back around, he came face to face with the trapped Blake. Before he could release her, he gave her that signature smirk of his, not once amusing the prisoner.

"Damn. I thought you'd get out of tight situations like this." joked Sun.

"I thought I told you to…" uttered Blake, but was cut off by Sun when he finished it for her.

"Leave you alone? I got the picture, Blake." He made his way to the panel next to the doorway and pressed the release button to deactivate the shield, finally freeing Blake of her captive state. "Seriously, is being anti-social all you ever good at?"

Blake walked out, feeling the brief joy of freedom that had always captivated every time, before facing Sun with questions. Not that she appreciated the help, but the question stuck…

"Why are you willing to help me?" she asked, confusingly. "After all I've done to avoid you, and how I never even gave a damn about you?" She made it clear that she didn't want anyone to tail her, so Sun should have gotten the message by now. It was, after all, his display of recklessness that got her locked up in the first place. She still held him responsible for her predicament, and it showed, making her still annoyed of his presence.

Still, he persisted. Why? Was he that stubborn or did he have some other motive to follow her around?

"I dunno." Sun simply shrugged. "Maybe it's because I find you very exciting."

"How exactly?" Blake didn't feel any embarrassment or flattery, just the usual neutral curiosity, not to mention still hesitant to take anything seriously from Sun.

"Come on! You would give those thugs a real whacking. Plus, those guys were actually working for someone I really hate, so I thought I'd show 'em." Blake considered his response with caution. She didn't really know whether to take him seriously or not, unconvinced over the simplicity of his resolve to follow and saver her. If there wasn't anything he would gain as a whole, then he was wasting his time delving into her side when she had much more pressing matters at hand.

But then, she thought about what his help would do to assist in her escape of the station. If she kept him around, then perhaps she could make use of the extra hand. After all, he was able to fight off men on his own, as far as she could tell. Plus, he found his way into the station, then he could get her out of it, assuming he was willing to listen, that is…

"I suppose that's tolerable." she sighed. She then reached for the fallen guard below her and picked up Gambol Shroud, the weapons they confiscated from her, now back in her own hands.

"Look, I'm sorry I… blew your ship." he apologized. "I just wanna help, you know?" "There are things out there that no one person can handle. So whether you like it or not, you should need some backup." Sun's words added more of a good impression to Blake. Finally, the monkey boy poured out a well-mannered explanation of his intentions, putting aside his childish demeanour to contribute his efforts in helping her. Now, this was something she could accept.

"Fine. I guess I owe you some thanks for helping me." She finally gave in. Sun grinned, finally satisfied that he was allowed to tag along for the ride, at least just this once. The two were now officially allies in the quest to flee Torchwick, which would end once Blake found a place to settle on and continue from where she left off from.

"I have to find a new ship." said Blake. "My old one's pretty much scrap now, thanks to you." She glared begrudgingly at the boy, who chuckled sheepishly. Conversely, she then saw a brighter side to the incident. "But then again, I could thank you for blowing it up."

"Huh?"

"That kind of ship belonged to some very bad eggs anyway. Chances are they would try and find it." The clearance of a White Fang ship gave Blake a clear slate, denying them a direct clue to her whereabouts. She didn't want to relive the horrors of betrayal and degradation of a cause by being at the ends of their blades. Of course, to add more cover to her past, she had to be ambiguous about the 'bad eggs' she told Sun of. "Any other common ship would do fine."

"Simple." Sun clicked his finger. 'We just gotta work together to get one for you." Blake nodded, understanding what needed to be done to free her off this wretched scum that was Roman Torchwick. Before long, the two immediately left the prison bay and went off to find a ship to escape the station before Roman knew what had happened.

Unfortunately, their escape hadn't gone too unnoticed…

* * *

No one wanted to tell Torchwick any bad news. It would be a death sentence to bring bad news to the boss, especially when he was having his back against a wall.

One security operator at a surveillance computer at one corner of the central control room was sweating when he saw two strangers running out of the prison bay, recognizing one of them as the prisoner he was tasked to watching. Too late was he to capture the two in the middle of the breakout, only barely catching a glimpse of them leaving the room via a small security camera at one corner.

A dilemma seeped in; whether he was going to alert his boss or ignore it to avoid his wrath. No – now that he thought about it; it wasn't a dilemma anymore. Tell Torchwick, he'll smoke you for your incompetence. Not tell Torchwick, and he'll learn eventually and you'll still be smoked. Either way, he was at a loss. So, which was the lesser of the two evils?

Tell Torchwick…

"Boss!" The man called. Even if he was going to have it, the earlier Torchwick knew about the news, the faster the problem would be contained. "We got a problem." As he predicted, Roman was not enthusiastic over a little insight.

"Do you have any idea how royally screwed I am?" he yelled from behind the man, scaring him stiff. "I've got enough problems about escaped prisoners and angry Hutts, as it is."

It was at Torchwick's last sentence that he suddenly calmed down. So, the boss was told about the escape? Did someone else screw himself up by reporting to him, taking the blunt of his impatience on him? Was he safe?

He certainly felt so…

"Oh, then you… knew about the Faunus girl down in the detention level?"

He was so wrong…

"What did you say?!" Torchwick spun up and yelled, putting the man in a much worse state of fear than before. If you thought he wasn't angry enough, he was now absolutely bursting with rage, disapproving over a new break in his hold of his chances.

The camera operator shivered, mentally begging for his life. At any moment, Roman could very well send him to be thrown into one of many execution pits, where his pet creeps would devour him alive and into a gruesome fate. But alas, the man was spared as Torchwick retreated in a frenzy.

"Ergh! Neo!" Leaving the operator to shiver some more, Roman turned to the one underling who never failed him thus far. "Take the men with you and pursue! I don't want another scheme of mine thwarted by some dimwits who suck at their jobs." Neo saluted with playful cheer before walking off into the base and dealing with the escapee and her new cohort. Meanwhile, Torchwick had other things to worry about, mainly the threat of the Hutts coming to settle the misunderstandings between them and the Syndicate. That would mean undermining the many schemes that he had for the galaxy.

There was one secret he was hiding from everyone that he intended to use for an uncertain future…

"In the meantime, I will head over to check on my… secret weapon."

* * *

The two Faunus runaways, now loose in the corridors of the station, were quick on their feet, Sun leading the way back to the hangar bay where he was last time. They kept their eyes open, watching out for any guards who would get in their way and avoiding them to leave no trace of action.

They stopped within one of the corridors, with Blake peeking over to look out for a passing patrol. Two guards were spotted, walking along the junction on the other side of their position, disappearing without raising any alarms.

"You sure this is the fastest way to the hangar?" Blake whispered her thoughts aloud to Sun.

"I managed to hitch a ride in one of their transports, just as they dragged you into it." explained Sun, with the last bit of the explanation not settling in well with the girl next to him.

"Drag?" she growled, a hint of venom in her voice. Such cruel lack of respect for one's prisoners hadn't been a new thing for Blake; many times before, she was hauled into prisons in a similar manner. The sickening indecency of such high men and women, always towing Faunus kind to their cells before they were sent to work in hard labour. For her to be dragged into Torchwick's clutches by his men, it was only a mere insult compared to the sufferable treatment dealt onto so many unfortunate souls out there.

"They're Torchwick's boys. I wouldn't expect them to treat their prisoners better than the credits they get." Sun said just as much; they were only men whose loyalty was to the boss and their money, not the fight for freedom. Blake then shifted her concern over the amount of security she would have to fight against in the hangar bay, which would then allow her to choose between stealth and full force.

"Just how many men do we have to deal with if we're spotted?" she asked.

"I'd say dozens." answered Sun.

"A whole troop's full." If a whole conundrum of thugs was in the way, then it would have to be the quieter option. That would require one key rule to pull it all off, and it had to do with Sun. "When we get there, follow my lead."

"Whatever suits your ship, Blake." Sun accepted, making Blake feel a little gladder that he was not opposed to letting her take the lead. Though, it did not do enough to diminish that sinking feeling that he would screw up at any point. She would have to watch him constantly to make sure he wouldn't cost them the element of surprise.

Then, just when they were about to move out, walking out of the turn, they were instantly met with trouble as a large crowd of Torchwick's gang arrived at the worst time possible. The grunts moved along with their blasters already loaded up to engage, flanking the leading figure of the bunch; who appeared to be a woman with two shades of colour on her hair. She pranced forward with a cruel grin as she spotted Blake and Sun.

"Looks like we've been had." whispered Sun. As Neo pointed out her umbrella to signal the men to fire, Blake grabbed hold of Sun's arm and turned the other way.

"Run!" Pulling Sun with her, Blake ran as fast as she could, leaving Neo to order the men to pursue, beginning the hunt for two troublemakers. Men, who were armed, with their hands tightly gripped around the grips and the barrels of their weapons, itching for a little bit of a chase.

Blake and Sun ran with all their might, hurrying along the corridors in a desperate bid to find their way out. Right behind them, the thugs were already close enough to start firing their weapons. Bolts of plasma exploded all around, nearly blazing through them as the duo ran. They both pulled out their melee weapons and started blocking the bolts away, Sun spinning his staff and Blake swinging Gambol Shroud, both weapons deflected the bolts around as they ran. They made turn after turn, only to meet up with more guards, who joined in the party. Alarms began to ring out all around them, alerting the entire base and turning their quiet escape into a full-blown chase.

Unaware of each other's pasts, the two were well associated with chases like this, where their elements of surprise would be shattered, forcing them to open up and let themselves be free to act against the growing opposition. But those were the days spent separate from each other. Much to Blake's chagrin, she was forced to pair up with some lowlife, who was being too nosy for her own good. Also, she had to make sure he followed her throughout the booming station, keeping a constant eye on him the whole time; a far cry from the times she could rely on her teammates to take care of themselves without having to stall her.

Eventually, they came across a T-junction, with only a door at the very centre. The three paths of the junction were already about to be swarming with guards, coming in to catch the runaways. With the whole station on alert, the guards would be very much packing up all available space, which, in this small station, meant that there was practically nowhere else to run.

Trapped between three sides of mobs threatening to catch them, Blake and Sun were already starting to run out of options. Backed against the wall, they were only left with one way to escape the clutches of Neo and her forces. The monkey Faunus was especially so entrenched with running around and avoiding trouble, he had completely lost track of the way to the hangar. There was no time to tell Blake that, so he had to go through the only way out.

He slammed his fist onto the control panel next to the lone door behind them, opening it up. Before Blake could turn around and enter the room, she was immediately blasted back, her nose burning with a dreadful stench that made her skin vibrate with extreme intensity, hairs tingling madly like weeds in the wind.

"Quick! In here!" Sun rushed her to get in the room, making Blake lash out verbally, retorting against the absolute stupid route that he was possibly conceiving as a brilliant escape route.

"Are you crazy?!" she yelled, the same ferocity she had with him back at Mos Espa creeping back. "Are you even sure it's safe in there?!" Then, Blake was about to brush off any response and prepare to fight, when Sun suddenly shot back before she could start to ignore him, raising his voice to quickly halt her.

"Are **you**?" he exclaimed. "Do you really want to stand around and get pelted by a hundred plasma bolts? Trust me, Blake. With this little space, we have no chance." Blake winced, not because Sun was overextending his disobedience, but rather the aching feeling that she had to accept his words as truth. There was no cover around them, no room to fight back and worst of all, they were trapped between three corridors of unwanted guests coming their way.

Besides, it couldn't be worse than the other repulsive places she went to as a White Fang operative. One time, she was nearly swallowed up in a giant sarlacc pit back on Felucia, where the nauseous gasses of the beast were much worse than Blake remembered.

"I suppose it's better than nothing." she finally gave in and proceeded to join Sun. The two jumped right into the room before it shut down behind them. One of the hunting parties, led by Neo, came too late to stop them, stopping in front of the door where they disappeared into. Watching them jump in before they disappeared, Neo wasn't any bit disappointed by letting them go.

In fact, there was only a smile, beaming with cruel glee. The two rats had fallen right into a mousetrap, and she was about to make like a cat and feast on their misery…

* * *

After saving themselves from being hoarded, Blake and Sun managed to drop themselves into the room, where Blake could feel her legs being drenched in some sort of liquid. As she looked down, both her eyes and nose braced for the disgusting sight that laid before her and her unintentional ally.

She was knee deep within a mucky surface of what looked like watery sludge, clouded with thick streams of filth and bits of junk swimming around. Piles of larger trash dipped into the garbage-filled water, leaning against the dirt-smudged walls, turning the room into a miniature junkyard. The awful stench of the room was more than enough to bring Blake's nose to the brink of an inferno. The wretched smell began to send a shockwave throughout her skin.

She pinched her nose, eyes strained by the irritation of near-sulfuric levels (although that was probably putting it exaggeratedly).

"Great. Such an incredible rain bow of smell…" she urged. And yet, Sun was not so discreetly as repulsed as she was, still making that trademark smirk of his.

"When you live off the streets all your life, you'd get used to it." he boasted, hands to his hips while he looked around the trash heaps. "The guards won't even lift their noses to find us here. Ain't this a great idea or what?"

"Uh… Sun." Blake deadpanned, the stuffy atmosphere running her mood further. "This is garbage disposal. What makes you think this is a great idea?"

"Well, you did say it's better than nothing." Blake was seemingly disturbed by how dismissive Sun was about everything they'd been through thus far. She wasn't sure if she should feel amused or baffled towards his attitude, as he laughed away to his heart's content. "Besides, this place's so stinky; it can even kill Roman Torchwick!"

"You certainly are an optimist." Blake murmured, sarcasm seeping out while she rolled her eyes. Suddenly, she saw Sun's hand reach into his pocket, drawing out the blaster pistol from its holster and aiming at the ventilation shaft upwards, right towards the grate. That made her rush out in alarm. "No, wait!"

Too late. Sun pulled the trigger. A blast shot right out and hit the panel. But rather than blasting the grate open, the shot simply bounced right off and sped right towards the wall, before it again reflected right off to the other walls. It began to bounce and zap all around rapidly, searing right over Blake and Sun as they ducked in utter panic. The bolts ricocheted off the walls with such speeds, Blake couldn't tell where to jump and duck. All they could do was hope that the bolt didn't hit them.

Finally, the blast dissipated by hitting a carbon beam that absorbed the bolt, ending the tormenting period of panic. Blake's gazed coldly at the reckless Sun, wishing she had grown claws from her hands to eviscerate the fool for his lack of insight. However, she remained calm, instead huffing an insult.

"I take it back; you're a complete idiot." She sneered at him before standing back up to face the door, waiting for any sign of retaliation. She then turned over to the ceiling, at that grate Sun tried to shoot down, wondering where the shaft might lead them to.

Then, Sun threw in a simple statement to the case.

"Idiots can win wars, Blake." Blake scoffed, feeling his idiocy knowing no bounds.

"Tell that to General Lagune." she retorted, reaching for Gambol Shroud while pondering more on her plan to escape.

"Think wider. Remember Admiral Carcodon?" added Sun.

"The Faunus admiral who obliterated the Mistral Navy at the Battle of Rudan?" Blake answered, though with a tone of slight disbelief when Sun had to use the famed hero of the Faunus forces in the Revolutionary Wars as an example of his ridiculous quote. "I didn't think you'd heard of him."

"Me neither. I just stole a valuable model of his ship back on Anima from some rich guy." Blake shook her head, clearly growing discontent about his disrespectful view of a hero for the Faunus.

"What makes him an idiot, then?" she inquired.

"The guy was a hard-ass, as far as I've heard from tales. Treats his men like dirt."

"He was a hero, Sun. He and his men bravely sacrificed themselves to win Rudan." defended Blake.

"That's not what I heard from a few Faunus I've met." What Sun mentioned was met with suspicion from Blake. Just who were these few Faunus from denying the heroism of a man who preserved their future. "They told me that the Admiral was a blind ol' fool who wasted tons of lives, pulling off the things he did to win." The apparent tenacity of the explanation was already riling Blake up in the inside.

"And just who were these Faunus, really?"

"I dunno. Some masked figures from some equal rights movement." Just then, Blake's sceptical curiosity turned into a growing fear. Something about masked Faunus gave her a premonition of darkness that ate at her heart for a while, something she did not wish to feel ever since she left that dark corner of her life. Shaking inside, she knew who these individuals were, where they came from… "They tried to recruit me into their cause before they drew their swords and guns at me."

"The White Fang…" she mused with shuddering cold in her heart.

"Yeah! That's it." Sun, oblivious to her inner feelings, cheered. "You know 'em?" Blake's heart stopped when asked of any connection to her past. Her memories went back to the Twi'lek family back in Dantooine, when her cover was blown and her past revealed to them. She vowed to never expose more of her links to the White Fang ever again, not willing to risk being caught and sent back to her former brotherhood by anyone, even if it had to be a stalking fool like Sun.

"No." she lied.

"Huh? For a moment there, I thought you knew about them." Luckily, Sun didn't get the hint. "I guess I was wrong." But as they returned to finding their way out, Blake quietly breathed silently, feeling like choking up from the toxic smell of the room. Despite Sun's obliviousness to her true past, the memories of her time with the White Fang returned to traumatize her, making her heart ache with pain from the betrayal and the loss of the noble path the organization had taken to secure a better future for all of Faunus kind.

Reflecting on her conversation with Sun, she could only silence herself in thought at how things would be if he knew who she was. If he did know what was going on, there was no telling what he would do next; surrender her to the White Fang? Attempt to sell her off to someone interested or leave her with Torchwick to fend for himself? Or maybe even he would have been a spy the whole time?

Paranoia seeped into Blake over what could possibly go wrong with this arrangement…

 _You have no idea, Sun._

* * *

Neo didn't do anything, not going in to finish the job nor send the boys to do the literal dirty work. She didn't even bother to knock, just to see if they would tick under the pressure.

Instead, she had something more sinister in mind, something else to put pressure on them. The men around her watched impatiently, waiting for an order while they idly aimed their weapons towards the locked door.

On her hand, her communicator disc projected the image of her boss, his holographic figure showing him leaning his hands onto his cane while watching Neo with intrigue. After hearing of the whereabouts of his intruders, he had the same twisted idea that was plastered in Neo's head.

"So, they're trapped in one of the garbage rooms?" uttered Torchwick, earning a nod frm Neo as she smirked. The prisoners had trapped themselves in garbage disposal, so there was only one way this was going to end, once and for all.

"Neo, you know what we do to garbage."

* * *

Blake and Sun were about to plan their escape from the room via the ventilation system, when they heard an ominous sound that was followed by rough shaking around the room.

The walls began to screech, added with mechanical noises coming from behind them. The room rumbled like a mini earthquake, swinging Blake and Sun back and forth to near imbalance; the dirty water all around their legs vibrated with the rumbling. The two Faunus looked around them, wondering what had happened.

Being in a garbage-filled chamber, Blake immediately knew what was about to occur, and the thought wasn't pleasant. A second later, the dirtied walls began to move, closing right into the centre, pushing the trash heaps leaning against them.

"The walls are closing!" shouted Sun.

"You think?!" urged Blake. "We have to get out of here!" The walls moved closer and closer to them, almost poised to crush them to a polluted death, slowly inching to the centre to meet with each other.

The hatch above them was their only means of escape. Blake tried to run towards the wall and climb it up with what little agility she had, kicking up her feet to flip up them. However, she only reached so little, as the humidity of the room had caused the walls to be drenched with moist, causing her to slip down. Her frustration mounting, she tried again, only to fall again. Desperation was kicking in as the walls came closer to mashing her into a flat pancake.

Meanwhile, instead of helping her, Sun stayed still, not doing anything to save himself. Blake took notice of the still position of the boy, causing her to shout out in frustration.

"Aren't you going to do anything?!" For a second, Sun said nothing, turned his head towards her and finally spoke. His stance was firm, unlike the constant excited movement shown from his usual demeanour. From Blake's perspective, he seemed to be assessing something, which did little to ease her stress.

"I am." Sun urged. He watched the walls getting closer, eyeing the trash heaps that came with them. Then, once the walls were almost halfway to crushing them, he held out a hand, signalling to Blake that he had a plan. "Wait for it."

Blake was losing her patience, wanting to defy Sun's request to wait. She couldn't possibly think about what kept him so still, moments before they would be squashed like kreetle within the palms of a Krawkian thunder-clapper. She hated being caught like prey in figurative terms, so imagine her distress when feeling the same way physically.

Yet, Sun, for all of his blind bravado and unnecessary gusto, remained vigilant and calm, still waiting for the walls to come in. Just when Blake thought she could smack some sense into him, she was silenced when he suddenly made his move.

Without a moment's hesitation, Sun leapt into action, jumping towards the trash heap on the left. Right there, he then hung on and waited some more, hand held firmly on a steel pole that was lodged into the scrap and junk, strong enough to hold him up while the wall moved.

It was then that Blake realized what Sun was planning to do. Too late did she notice that he had indeed waited for the walls to get closer, for a good reason. He had bided his time, letting the walls close and allow the trash to couple up into a sort of balance that gave him a much sturdier support to make the jump towards the shaft. Surely enough, the boy was able to jump up again and latch his tail onto the grate. Taking out his staff, he spun it for some strength before he gave the edge of the grate one powerful whack, breaking it loose.

Upon entering into the vent and safe from the walls, he reached his hand out for Blake.

"Take my hand!" The girl didn't need to wait anymore. Sun did what he needed to do and Blake couldn't wait any longer to be mashed. She followed up Sun's movements and jumped up the shaft, catching Sun's hand and was lifted into the vent, just seconds before the walls finally closed in and crushed everything that was inside.

The tensions were finally lifted. Blake and Sun could finally breathe easy as the mashers finished their jobs. Free from a gruesome fate, they relaxed, sitting against the tight space of the ventilation shaft. The former looked to the monkey boy and sighed. Perhaps he did have some intellect and patience to leap out of situations like this, after all. It didn't, however, remove the bitter sense of clumsy action that he displayed prior to their unfortunate entry into the garbage mashers. Sun had a lot more work to do to convince her that he was a worthy ally.

"Well, that's one fine mess you got us into already." she huffed, her nose revolting from the awful smell on her body. "Never mind the literal meaning of my statement." she groaned as she flicked her fingers to remove the drops of moisty garbage water.

"Oh, stop sulking." Sun threw his own fingers at Blake, dismissing the whole debacle. "We can get you cleaned up once we find our ship out of here."

"If we ever make it out of this alive…" Blake was still conflicted over what to do with Sun at this point. Was he really a handicap, soon to be the cause of her death? Or was he something else? He was still an arrogant fool, jumping to conclusions at the very instant, but then, there was some hope that he actually did have a bit of care in his actions.

The clash of points soon left Blake to coin a term she would make to describe individuals who she could not tell whether they were worth being respected or ridiculed. It was something she really hated to think, only for stress to take its toll on her patience over deciding the worthiness of each of her accomplices.

Sun Wukong was an **unwanted miracle** … Yes, a figure of mischief that Blake could not accept, and yet, within that hard shell, laid some form of intelligence that could at least let him see reason. He was well adapted to life in the streets, that was for sure, so there was no doubt that it came in handy at the most inconvenient of times. Still, it didn't stop her from wondering why he didn't use his self-proclaimed skills in the first place.

"Trust me, Blake. When it comes to cronies like these guys, I'm the man you want to have around." Blake rolled her eyes at Sun's bold attempt to impress her, still not convinced he was worth keeping by her side.

"Like I need a bad luck charm…"

Though, she had to admit that he was still her only way out of the station and back on the road to helping the galaxy be healed of the corruption that was plaguing it. Whether she liked it or not, they had to work together to escape Roman Torchwick before he would make her do things that she would never like to do.

* * *

The trip into the ventilation shaft was enough to null Blake's senses. As if crawling through with a blanket of revolting garbage odour wasn't wreaking enough, the dust filled walls were dropping off bits of dust onto her nose, making her feel a little stuffy. The tight and narrow space of the shaft was also bringing in a sense of tense discomfort almost on par with claustrophobia. Again, it wasn't her first time going through such small spaces; it was the added obstacle of Sun Wukong that made it a little more unsettling, especially since he was right behind her.

They shimmied through the vents, edging very slowly towards the hangar bay without raising any more alarms. Over time, they would spot several guards walking about, on the prowl for them. Each time they were over the patrollers, they kept their movements at an all-time low to sneak past without raising a single sound. Once the line of sight had passed, they would then resume their trek.

Eventually, they came above another vent grate, where Sun believed was close to the hangar bay. One quick jump down and a mad run later would seal the deal, making it a one-way trip to freedom. Regardless, Blake had to put faith in herself that she would survive long enough to make it to a ship, even if she had to depend on some rookie street thief to lead the way.

She didn't like following this brash and arrogant boy to help her be free. She never had to suffer such insubordination or foolishness when she was accompanied by more obedient and focused members of the White Fang. Along with her, they were trained to never act on their curiosity and do what needed to be done on the grounds of their wild beliefs.

Now, it was clear that she was no longer accustomed to such silent devotion to the tasks at hand, forced to find solace in the company of a street rat, whose humour was his greater strength than his actual skills.

Opening up the grate below them, the two Faunus jumped down, finding themselves at the entrance of what looked like a generator area. A catwalk stretched between two ends of ledges, with a seemingly bottomless pit down below. The main reactor of the station was down below the catwalk they were on, operating right next to them.

Proceeding to move forward, Sun and Blake snuck onto the catwalk, hoping to find their way to the hangar bay. Watching the other end of the path, they also kept a close eye on the opposite catwalk for any patrolling guard at the reactor. They were halfway through without a single enemy in sight, moving smoothly towards the other end, feeling a little easier that they might be closer to their objective.

But then, Blake's ears wiggled, delivering the tingling sensation in her nerves. The sudden strike in her system caused her eyes to turn down to the reactor below them. Something was not right…

 **BWUIM!**

A single shot fazed over them, nearly hitting Blake's head as she bended back to avoid the shot. Sun, alarmed a little later than her, jumped back just as the blast zoomed across the area, the force of the bolt echoing off into the distance.

The two turned their heads down to where the blast came from, spotting the scumbag who fired it. Looking down at the reactor, they saw the group of unwelcome people, staring at them from below to greet them in a cold embrace of death.

There they saw; the big boss himself, Roman Torchwick himself, accompanied by the same girl who chased them down earlier as she stood beside him. The smug face of the crime boss, Blake recognized all too well. It wasn't the first time she laid her eyes on the mogul wannabe, having tried to make peace with the White Fang a few times before. Though they never met face-to-face, it was easy to see why Adam was so hesitant to allowing a human to deal with them.

Then again, haunting memories aside, she would have guessed the brotherhood could have had similar problems breaking bread with other non-Faunus organizations before…

"Ah ah ah." Roman warned with the fiddle of his right index finger, cigarette shifting to the side of his lips to speak. "That's a bad kitty."

"Roman Torchwick." Blake mumbled with her eyes squinted with disgust, looking at this lowlife the same way she viewed criminals who sought opportunity through corrupted ways. "You're even bigger scum that you look." As she would expect from a criminal proud of his work, Roman bowed, his hat dancing down by his hand.

"Thank you." boasted Torchwick. "Now if you're done toying with me, and that I can promise you will, it's off to the prison hold with you."

"Sorry, but I don't answer to criminals. I've already had enough trouble following this particular lowlife." Blake shot back, gesturing her head to the riffraff next to her.

"Hey!" Insulted, Sun exclaimed with his hands to his hips, staring hurt at Blake.

When the Faunus made good on her threat, Roman shook his head, placing both of his hands on the back of his cane, tipping the other end onto the ground. A cocky grin widened on his face. Blake spotted the expression, feeling discomfort and ready for what was about to come out of his smart mouth. She felt that he was about say something that would put her off, which made her feel anxiety slowly shrouding within her heart.

"That's a bit rich coming from you." retorted Torchwick, strain in his voice. "I know what you did back on Tatooine, so don't think you can just slither your way out of this." Blake didn't understand what she did that aggravated the criminal mastermind. As far as she knew, she was just stopping by to rest in Mos Espa. She wasn't onto any elaborate schemes, not foiling anything that would affect the area. The thugs she faced earlier were only in her way, coming back to capture her just because she apparently roughed up a few of their cohorts. That act was in self-defence; they made their move first, she had the right to attack back. Unfortunately, the criminal underworld didn't seem to stick to rules so well.

"Your men attacked me." defended Blake. "I just did what I had to do and defend myself, unaware of any plans you must have had there."

"You should know that a criminal will never reveal his plans to everyone in the public. If my boys are on a planet, there's **always** a plan." Roman sneered at the woman who had indeed stabbed a spike into his schemes. His men on Tatooine were supposed to run a small profit run to secure a small bonus for his growing syndicate. More importantly though, the mogul in the making

"And right now, I happen to have a new one, right about now." "And, I'm afraid, my dear; it involves **you**."

"You see; with Faunus like you two in my grasp, I can obtain a much bigger prize than what the Hutts would ever give me, by forming a new partnership with another organization… hidden in the shadows." Blake's heart suddenly skipped a beat. Remembering a figment of her past, her anxiety intensified, feeling that the organization Torchwick was talking about was all too familiar. "That's right; the White Fang will fetch me an incredible price bringing a Faunus like you into their ranks."

Her blood began to boil, fear gripping her heart in a sudden rush of rage. The thought of being delivered back to her brethren by a scummy group of criminals already surged through her mind, filling her with anguish. If she was to ever return to the White Fang, she was sure to be executed right on the spot.

She could already envision the horrible sight of her former partner, walking towards her as she was forced down to her knees, his blade raised and then slashed down to severe her head, to join countless others lost to his extremist ways.

"What do you know about the White Fang?" she growled. Of course, Roman seemed to be unaware that one of the Faunus he was willing to trade with the White Fang happened to be not only one of them, but also a traitor in their ranks. Worse still, she had to play it safe as Sun Wukong stood by her. She couldn't afford to reveal anything until the thief had earned her trust. Fortunately, judging by how he dismissed the first time she mentioned them, she could take some comfort.

Now, however, there was a cocky waste of sentient life that was standing in her way of a free getaway.

"Oh, nothing much." laughed Torchwick. "Except, maybe, the fact that **you** will be a worthy bargaining chip to get me on their good side."

"Never." Blake's growl grew wilder, heavily suppressed hate held back to muster a warning and resisting the urge to pounce and kill. Her Gambol Shroud was quickly drawn out, accompanied by Sun's own weapon.

The monkey Faunus also found himself in a possible scenario where he would be captured and forced to become a slave to the losers who were simply too wild for his liking. Thus, he had every reason to join Blake in the fight.

Not getting the surrender he wanted, Torchwick shook his head, shrugging his shoulders as to concede the negotiations to a halt, resulting to brute force to accomplish his ambitions.

"Oh well. Then I can always knock the both of you out and send your unconscious bodies to them." With the point of his cane, the crime lord ordered the men and Neo to begin the attack. "Get them!"

The blasters were aimed at the two Faunus, while they in turn prepared to run, protected by their weapons. The triggers were pulled and the firing frenzy began, shots speeding upwards towards the intruders. Blake and Sun blocked them with their melee weapons, shifting their blade and staff to hit the bolts. Immediately, they ran to the other side, while Torchwick and his crew fired away.

The standoff quickly ended once Blake and Sun successfully reached the other side, running right into the corridor. They kept running through, shedding their low profiles off in place of a quicker pace of combat.

Along the way, they faced more of Torchwick's thugs, engaged in a firefight that went all the way towards their chance of escaping. They kept their vigilance while they ran, watching their corners before engaging the incoming patrols. It was a moving firefight as Blake and Sun used their weapons to open their way through the labyrinth of a space station.

The adrenaline rush continued on, as Sun did his best to lead Blake to one of the hangar bays. After shooting through enemies left and right, they found themselves within a hallway, with both sides of the corridor lined with doors. A suspicious setting within a space station on full alert.

"There they are!" Immediately as they went through the first set of doors, the other rooms at front had more of the enemy, hiding in the rooms to take cover and fire from there. Blake and Sun separated and each slid in both rooms respectively, letting the first few shots bounce off the doors and walls.

"Now the fun's really getting started!" yelled Sun, feeling the burn of blaster fire searing all around.

"Oh. I'm glad you're willing to have your skin attached for them!" shouted Blake, dumbfounded that Sun would find such tight crises like this so exciting. She took out her pistol, Sun using his semi-auto carbine, before they fired back at the superior numbers. By Blake's estimation, all of the four rooms were now occupied, with men shooting from all sides. They had to get through the hailing barrage of gunmen before they would be overwhelmed by more behind them. With the whole station on alert, their chances were slim.

Letting a few more rounds faze through, Blake prepared to make her move. When showered with plasma in tight spaces like this, there was only one way to catch the shooters by surprise. Her hand reached for the blade of Gambol Shroud, planning to jump forward without fear, charging on to finish off the enemy with speed. He agility would propel her through the blaze and strike the enemy when they least expect it.

After feeling the slowdown of energy projectiles, it was her time to pounce. At once, she leapt out of her spot and chased down the closest man she could reach, pinning him down, swiping his gun off his hand and kicked him down to a state of unconsciousness. The gunner on the other side was shaking in absolute terror when his partner was tackled down and finished like he was nothing to the hunter. When her glaring eyes pierced through his heart, he could do nothing but become the next victim, as Blake then struck him down the same way.

While Blake moved in, Sun followed behind her. When she struck the first two guards, he then jumped in front and spun his staff, striking every shot aimed at him. His weapon danced around his fingers, tossed between hands in a display of acrobatic defence. His instincts drove him on, combatting each blaster bolt against him that directed his arms to hit them all with incredible speed and precision.

Once he was close enough, he twisted his body around, so that his tail could eventually reach the gunman to the second door on the right. The flexible appendage whipped the man in the face, causing him to recoil and drop his weapon on the ground. Sun then came around and knocked him out with the whack of his staff.

The other gunmen at front continued to press fire at the both of them, but it did little to force the Faunus as they charged forward to take them on. They took them in their grasps and wrestled them down to the ground.

Blake managed to pin her foe down and knock him out with the hit to the head with her pistol grip. When she looked to see Sun fight his opponent, she caught a glimpse at him, facing the gunman with his bare fists. The street thief couldn't take out his staff on time when the crook attacking him launched a fist towards him. However, he managed to catch the fist, letting it slide across his arm before locking it in within his pit of his elbow. Trapping the man's arm within the elbow pit, he then slithered his own arm and knocked it off with the swipe of his hand before delivering a strong punch with the other. The man countered with another attempt at Sun, but he was then forced to be grabbed by the arm before the monkey Faunus then tossed him over him. Finally, he then drew his staff out and slammed it onto the face, completely obliterating the man out.

Blake found herself surprised by the display of smooth and slippery movement in Sun's fighting style, somewhat impressed by how skilled he was in slithering through his foe's attacks like how he would swing through the streets. She couldn't help but notice how unique the movements were when he snaked through his enemy's arms before throwing them off. Wondering how he came across such elegant fighting styles, her natural curiosity prompted her to ask.

But the two heard more cries coming from behind them, recognizing the rest of the guards chasing them all the way. Now that they took out the enemy in front of them, they proceeded on, running off to find their way out.

* * *

Close behind Blake and Sun, Torchwick and Neo were right behind them, joined by a squad of the former's men as they chased the trespassers deep into the station. By the time they reached the corridor where more of Torchwick's grunts attempted to hold them down and allow him to entrap them, they came to find that the plan had been foiled, marked by the fallen bodies, squirming in pain from the numerous blows sustained.

Torchwick growled underneath his breath. Once again, failure whipped him right in the heart, building up the aggravation inside. Disappointment in the shortcomings of his men made him wonder if they weren't that satisfied with their pay to perform better. Surely, a few more credits would have spurred them to do much more. That was unfortunately where he had drawn the line with how much he paid his security.

Good thing for Neo; she didn't need the money. She was a willing henchwoman to serve the one man who took her in and gave her a chance to make it out there in the unforgiving galaxy, let alone given a powerful position to enforce the Syndicate's security. Once the men down on the ground rise up, she would deal with them personally and give them reminders of what would happen should they fail to meet Torchwick's expectations.

Just when the crime boss was about to move on to ignore the fallen, one of the defeated guards rose up, limping forward while using his heavy blaster as a balance to lift his injured body upwards. When he laid his eyes on the man himself, the Weequay guard flinched, afraid of delivering the bad news to him.

"Sir, we got a problem." uttered the guard. Torchwick rolled his eyes with disgust. He turned to face the one person who would not fail him.

"How many times must I be told of bad news today, Neo?" sighed Roman while Neo just shook her head with a smug smile, meant to rub the humiliation deep in the grunt's wounds. "Speak anyway."

"The intruders are getting too close to…" Again, the grunt hesitated, gulping up one more to speak. "Your secret weapon…"

The grunt could see Torchwick's jaw harden with clear anger, eyes shooting like daggers. Suddenly faced with another brewing crisis at hand, he wasn't willing to lose more of his grand possessions to a bunch of nobodies. Just when he had everything running smoothly, it was all about to come crashing down, because of some unknown beings. No way was he going to lose this one to the likes of the riffraff.

"Neo, prepare to blow the station up." ordered Roman. If the trash was to be destroyed, then the sooner the better. Neo gave him a firm nod to approve of his command before turning back to the injured man. Pointing his finger at him, he pushed an order to stop the intruders from finding out his ultimate prize. "You. Order all who guard my prize until one of my droids arrives. Keep their eyes open. Anyone who fails…" Roman struck his cane down on the ground, grinning coldly at the indication of a cruel retribution for those who did not follow through with his threats, sending chills down on everyone's spines.

"Let's just say; we'll give them the honour of going down with the station."

* * *

The hunt for the Faunus continued.

Running through the station was already tiring enough, but now, after proving to Torchwick just how resilient they were, Blake and Sun were forced to deal with heightened security, in the form of guards turning up at every nook and cranny of the interior.

With the chase intensifying, Sun knew they needed to hide somewhere to catch their breath, to re-evaluate their path to escaping the station. They ran into an empty supply room, void of any cargo that would be stored within, presumably due to the evacuation of the base. Thankfully, that meant that it would lower the odds of being found by any wandering patrols.

Blake slid her back against the cold, metal wall as she sunk to the floor, exhausted from the fighting and the running. Breathing in and out, she tried to relax herself, resting her head back and feeling the sweat soak her clothes. Her lack of a proper meal, forced to settle on prison food, had already dealt a blow to her metabolism and strength, tiring her out almost effectively. After a quick rest, she hoped it would be enough to replenish her strength and resume her search for a way out.

Meanwhile, Sun kept the door at bay, leaning over it while listening out for trouble. In case anyone would try and look into the room, he would spring forward and knock the guys out or alert Blake if the numbers would be out of his favour. Now that the coast was clear for now, he chose to stay put while Blake rested to reassess their escape plan.

"No telling how long 'till they find us here." he commented, keeping his visage on the door. Blake, meanwhile, had to admit something about Sun that actually impressed her. Throughout their escape into the station, she saw how skilled he was with his staff, watching him perform acrobatic feats and slippery martial arts moves that she only saw through holo-videos.

"Where did you learn to fight like that?" she asked him. Sun turned to face her, surprised that she actually asked a question with intrigue. The trademark smirk returned to his face.

"Hey. I study too, you know? Those holovids on Teras Kasi and Nar Kanji moves really give you the kick!" boasted Sun, flexing his muscles. "I'm a survivalist. I learn from everywhere I go." Then, the boy tried to one up the conversation by asking Blake a question of his own. "Ain't that how you learn to fight too?"

"In a way, yes." answered Blake. "The dojos in Anima offer a lot of useful skills."

"Of course." Sun commented. "The place of all that is corrupt and bleak."

"Corrupt is mildly putting it." Blake added. Strangely, though, the words that came out felt very… pleasing; like she was enjoying the conversation. The warmth was short-lived when she found herself snapping back, realizing that she was close to softening up to this street rat.

"Well, I'm glad we can agree on something." laughed Sun. However, the words he spoke next would give Blake something to speak up about; a sense of doubt growing within Sun that annoyed her. "Nothing much we can do, after all."

Blake's heart grew dark in an instant. Her frustration brewing from the hopeless words of Sun who dismissed the possibility of cleansing a world of its corruption. For years, she had grown to understand that darkness could be wiped out when people finally realize how much of their lives were tainted by hate and violence. For someone to not acknowledge the efforts of fixing the galaxy, it was hurtful for Blake.

"How can you be so sure?" she countered, standing up to face the startled boy. "Are you certain there's really nothing we can do to end the violence and suffering that is happening in this galaxy?"

"Shady folk like Torchwick and his Syndicate can be dealt with." explained Sun. "But the way I see it; corruption always finds its way. It's like a plague. Curable, but not destroyable. If we could end it, then we would have done so a long time ago, huh?"

"But what's stopping us now?" argued Blake. "Maybe we can do our part to save those in need. End the wars that threaten the galaxy now."

"How long do you think the peace will last?" All of a sudden, Sun continued to break it down to Blake, in a way that even surprised her. "The galaxy ain't perfect, Blake. There will always be people to come in and ruin things. It's the universal cycle of things.

And besides, there **are** governments out there who are better suited for the big battles than we'll ever be."

Blake's heart sunk deep. The very governments that Sun mentioned were **exactly** the people who were causing all the chaos in the first place. They were no better than the forces they were fighting against, blind to the suffering of nameless beings across the galaxy. Sun was not doing a good job of justifying that obliviousness by throwing out words.

Her lips twitched, itching to argue back, when Sun cut her off to say some more.

"Why do you care anyway?" he said. "You said so yourself you were just travelling the galaxy. So you should have the big picture. From what you've seen, ask yourself; is it really worth fighting for something so big?

So **impossible** …"

All at once, Blake was at a loss for words. There was so much she wanted to lash out for, but at the same time, there was just as much sense to Sun's words that shook her resolve. Her distaste for cruelty remained, but the words Sun had blurted out didn't sound too opposed to her resolve to end the suffering.

Deep down, she felt he was right about the things he said; there was truth in them. She wanted to believe the galaxy could be cleansed by doing what was right, but in the thick of things, when there was a war beginning, she had to realize that the dream was only as such…

A dream… A dream made by a young soul too attached to her hopes more than the reality of the galaxy.

While Blake sunk into her doubt, Sun could hear nothing from the other end of the door, marking that the coast clear, for now. Using what little advantage they had, he had to make a move, but not before checking in on Blake.

"You good to go?" he asked. His words, however, nearly fell on deaf ears. Fortunately, she stirred out of her thoughts and heard Sun. After a bit of clearing up in her head, she knew there was no time to stall. Whether he was right or not, one thing was certain. No matter where things would go from here, if she had to see things through, she needed to escape.

Maybe until then, she would find out what the right way was…

* * *

"Sir. I think it's best that we let them go and leave this place. It's getting very…" asked the underling, clearly hesitant to speak.

"Did I ask for your opinion?" growled Torchwick, patience running thin.

Tensions were already seeping in the station's crew. The order to scuttle the station and destroy any remains was reaching out and everyone was already packing up to leave. And yet, in the middle of evacuation, two Faunus rats had snuck aboard and began making a mess throughout the station.

Torchwick made it clear and harsh; the intruders needed to be captured, lest those who failed shall remain on the station to take the Faunus with them. Any objection would make an early death sentence possible.

"N-no, sir!" At once, the thug got the message.

Torchwick had no time to lose now. At any moment, either the Republic or the Hutts would arrive to put a stop to his plans, and he was not going to be present himself to be caught.

If the two trespassers ever escaped, they will expose everything he had worked so hard for. The Faunus runts had to be removed from the equation. The deal with the White Fang didn't really matter anymore. "Blow the station already." ordered the man again, pressed for time. "The explosion will draw the Republic's attention long enough before Jabba's pets get here. Those two rats will be caged by the time we leave!" The remaining men around him complied and moved to fulfil the command, running in a messy single file towards the other end of the corridor. Now that he was alone with Neo, he gave her one final command before he, too, made his move.

Neo's back arched behind, stepping back a little. Her heterochromia-filled eyes widened with panic. She didn't like when Torchwick's angry face would gaze at her, even if that anger was focused on someone else. All she could do was accept the power of her boss's temper loss before he gave out her own duties.

"And make sure my new toy leaves the station by the time we board the ships!"

Neo nodded without question. The next thing she had to do was contact one of the Syndicate's servant droids and give out the order to clear up the big treasure, with the simple press of a button, of course (how else was she supposed to call the droid without uttering a single word?).

* * *

 _Self-destruct sequence, initiated! All crew of the station must evacuate immediately!_

The automated alert sounded off. By now, the entire crew should be rushing to save themselves and scatter off into the stars, away from the blowing station. All, including a pair of stowaways.

Already half an hour since Blake's breakout, she and Sun had not made any luck finding a proper ship to leave the already doomed station. By the time the alarms went on, they were already being tossed around here and there, avoiding patrol after patrol, combating anyone who got in their way. Now, sirens were whirring out a constant buzz of noise that irritated their ears.

"Man, he really wants no traces left behind!" commented Sun aloud.

Suddenly, as he turned to the right, a set of blast doors began to close in, a red scanning light flashing on and off as the two sets of doors closed in and slammed shut. Sun ran to the panel on the right, hoping to reopen them up. The press on the button and nothing happened, the doors remained firmly locked.

"The station is on lockdown." he told Blake.

"There's no way for us to get to the main hangar bay on time." added the cat Faunus. With time working against them, the two were on a knife's edge, with practically only minutes until the whole place explodes and takes them with it. They had to think fast before they would lose what little time they had.

"If Torchwick's gang has a large presence in this base, then there has to be a few more ships in another hangar bay." deduced Blake.

"Okay. I see your point. But even if we find a ship, what makes you think they'll let us through freely? Are we gonna just knock on the doors and ask please?" Sun pointed out.

Blake nodded, admitting that Sun did have a point. She turned around, finger to her chin as she pondered. Even if there were more ships around, there was always more men to stop them. Plus, the station was now about to self-destruct, putting many sections on lockdown. They were trapped, with no path in sight.

But as Blake had learned throughout her life, hope always finds a way to deliver unexpected miracles…

Just then, from an open corridor, stepping sounds were heard from the other end of the corridors, prompting Blake and Sun to hide down behind the corner and peer over to see who was walking by. From behind the corner, they spotted three individuals, walking along the hall. One of them was a rusty old protocol droid, teetering in between two other guards. They followed the droid, flanking it with their rifles held to their chests. From the pattern of movement around the droid, Blake could deduce that this must had been a droid of importance, if it was protected, and that meant a good chance that there was still a way out.

"That must be one of Torchwick's servant droids." she suggested quietly. "Let's follow it."

"And you think it'll lead us to the hangar bay?" asked Sun.

"That droid must have something useful if it's being guarded. We'll sneak up the vents again and tail it to wherever it's going."

"Great. More tight spaces." Sun deadpanned, not eager to crawl into such a limited amount of space to wherever else they would go. Silently, they waited for the droid and the guards to walk off before they would hop up the vents again and follow along.

After sneaking about for a good while, they followed the droid through the vents all the way to a door before disappearing. Seeing there was a dead end to the ventilation system, Blake and Sun soon dropped down and ended up behind the doors, wondering if there was a way out on the other side.

Slowly, they opened up the doors, finally revealing the area of their desire. They had reached a large open room, occupied by a single starship. Before they could sit around and find out what they were dealing with, they ran off in a hurry, racing towards cover behind a container to assess their escape plan again.

Once hidden, Blake took a good look over the container and scanned the room, picking out the many guards around the large ship. She then counted; three guards below, two more on the maintenance platforms on the right side of the ship and three others far at the platform on the wall, overlooking the whole room.

"Now that's a ship!" commented Sun with glee. Blake turned her attention towards the starship being guarded by the crew. It was a frankly large craft, slim and smooth in its hull, striking out with two front mandibles. Then, she looked at the wings, forked with two tips that were bent towards the ship. The cockpit was similar to that of a Corellian freighter, inserted in between the mandibles and right at the hull, where the bulk of the ship was made up of. Studying the design, Blake recognized the design style of the transport, deducing the ship as something out of Sienar Fleet Systems, with the company's traditional panelled wing aesthetics applied to it.

However, that was not the only thing Blake recalled from this ship.

"I've… seen that ship before." she said, remembering something from her past. "It looks like one of those prototype fighters built by Sienar Fleet Systems."

"How do you know that?" asked Sun.

"I…" Blake lied. In truth, she was all too familiar with the ship before her.

Prior to her current crisis, she actually participated in a mission for the White Fang that involved the ship. Her goal, back then, was to steal plans to another project by Sienar Fleet Systems, which was being built for the Republic. Unfortunately, the mission was a failure, but the information she managed to get did include some data on the prototype fighter, including its design, arsenal and the fate of the project afterwards. All she read was that the fighter was stolen in a raid by pirates near Kuat, resulting in the loss of the experimental craft. It would stand to reason that the very fighter Blake studied was, in fact, the same craft she was seeing right now.

For now, Blake had to lie to Sun again, using her fake guise to shield her identity.

"I used to chase a couple of bandits who stole some data from the manufacturers." explained Blake.

"So, what's one doing here?" wondered Sun.

"Torchwick must have been the crook who pulled off the heist." With the ship's presence here, it seemed to have connected the dots for Blake.

"So the ship's theirs now?"

"Not for long." cleared Blake, knowing what she must do next. If this vessel was to be their only way out, so be it. Caution would have to be taken once they took the ship. First of all, the ship was an experimental craft; it wasn't guaranteed if it will work properly. Although, if Torchwick knew the risks of flying a potentially faulty craft, then he wouldn't go the extra mile in getting it, would he? Then there was the possibility that Sienar would be keeping a close eye on it. Any encounter in the open would spark the signal for authorities to run right into the hunt.

Regardless of the risks, Blake had to rely on hope that she'd make it out. It was the only way. "We'll take it."

"But it's a top secret piece of tech. You don't think Sienar's got some boys to look for their lost equipment?" inquired Sun.

"I'm sure Sienar has more problems to deal with. What with the war going on in the Republic and all…" Blake assured. "We better make our move."

"Are we going loud?" asked Sun, reaching his hand for his staff to prepare for the chaos.

"There's no other choice. The sooner we leave; the better chance we have of leaving this place without being blown up."

"Alright." Sun voiced his support on the plan. "So, what's the plan?"

"You're going to stall them while I reach inside and hijack the ship." announced Blake, drawing her weapons out at the ready. "Think you can hold them off?"

"Should be a piece of cake." assured Sun. "You sure this is going to work?"

"It's not the first ship I attempted to steal." uttered Blake, remembering the many times she had to steal transportation to make quick getaways like this. Again, back in the day, she had comrades to assist her and break her out. Now, she had to rely the street thief to get her out. Right now, that was her only option.

"Now, you got my attention." quipped Sun, feeling the need to burst out and take on the bad guys.

"And don't screw this up." reminded Blake, eyes squinted with warning.

"Who do you think you're talkin' to?" laughed Sun, but it did nothing to soothe Blake's confidence.

"My point exactly." Before long, Blake prepared to move out, watching down at the guards before giving Sun the go-ahead to start the distraction. She would use his impulsive, obnoxious personality to get them riled up while she entered the ship without any difficulty.

The plan was simple; Sun would keep the men occupied on him, while she would sneak underneath the ship and take out the guards at the boarding ramp. Once there, she would need her accomplice to keep their eyes away at all times while she entered, hoping the snipers at the walls wouldn't bat an eye over the ship.

If Sun could follow the plan well, she would be given time, long enough for her to enter the ship and start the engines. All would have to be placed in his hands for the time being.

Sun kept his body close behind the half-wall at the edge of the platform, just a few feet over the ship. Crouched down, he peeked over the wall to see the three guards he will fight first. He also paid close attention to the overhead guards at the very end of the hangar with their very eyes scanning the area. He was dealing with an open area of firepower should he move out and make himself known. A blaze of plasma bolts would rain down on him like the blue milk runs at Kejim, hitting him from all sides.

Perfect, he thought. Time to make his grand entrance. His staff extended out, Sun moved forward and made his presence open for everyone to see and shoot at. Jumping off the ledge, he landed right in front of the three guards on the ground. The three men spurred from the thudding noise of Sun's landing, turning to find the punk smirking at them with his weapon out.

"Hey, cronies!" mocked Sun. "You guys looking for me?!"

"It's the trespasser!" alerted the middle guard, loud enough for all to hear. "Get 'em!" The rest of the guards pointed their weapons at the intruder, firing immediately after. A rain of bolts already dropped onto Sun, who spun his staff and deflected the shots, beginning his distraction.

Trapped in the entanglement of blaster fire, the staff, Ruyi Bang, spun around Sun's fingers to meet each shot fired, while his legs danced around to keep him moving. He twirled his staff to block out the majority of the barrage, only shifting his body when he couldn't keep up with the momentum. The gunmen were missing all their shots onto him as Sun jumped around, stalling them from their attention towards the ship.

Sun, for the most part, enjoyed the deadly game he was playing. The adrenaline surged within his body, fuelling him with excitement and thrill with every kick in him. His tail sprang back to forth to keep the blood flowing and his mind composed. Soon, he decided to move forward with the distraction plan and stepped back, goading the men to pursue him. To do so, he gathered enough energy from the blaster fire and let it all out in one swing, flinging the bolts towards the three men below the ship. They ducked just in time to avoid the counterattack, raising back up to face the grinning scum, agitated by his mockery.

Insulted, they moved to pursue the attacker, while the men up at the platform focused their fire all on Sun.

Perfect. Just keep them coming. Let Blake do the rest.

True to his word, his partner was already making way, sneaking underneath the Starfighter while the guards focused on him. Blake didn't anticipate they'd go so far as to chase after Sun, but she took what she got and proceeded to find her way in. With blaster fire searing close by, she kept her body down low and slowly crept up to the entrance way just behind the craft. Using the distraction was doing, she entered the ship in a dash, avoiding eye contact from the two guards on the platform in front.

Up from the boarding ramp, Blake threw herself into the ship's interior, right into a tubular corridor where she could see the main lounge on the right. She turned around and instantly found herself looking at the cockpit, where the protocol droid she followed earlier was seated at.

The black droid waved its arms around, pressing on the buttons on the control panel to start the ship. Unaware that someone had infiltrated the ship, it kept on managing the controls to leave with its master's new weapon. Blake slowly moved up to the droid, drawing her blade and got ready to pounce.

Ready, Blake threw her feet out and jumped right at the chair, snatching the back rest and swung her machete at the droid's neck, catching the timid pilot by surprise.

"Hey! You aren't authorized to be in here!" shouted the droid. Blake spared little remorse as she closed the edge of her blade to the neck.

"Grant me access to the ship, droid." she uttered. "I promise you won't have to be shredded into spare parts." Her fingers wrapped on the shoulder of the droid, Blake could feel the trembling of the cold metal, suggesting the fear had been sunk into it.

"R-right away, ma'am!" The protocol droid easily gave in, tapping on the board for the ship to be overridden for Blake to take over from. Satisfied, the Faunus let go of the droid as it continued to comply with her threat. After a minute, the droid unlocked all access of the ship's systems to full manual control, meaning that Blake could finally take control.

Back outside. Sun was still keeping the pressure on himself, hiding behind a box with his pistol, Jingu Bang, out and firing back. The rapid blasts kept him pinned down, leaving only brief glimpses upwards to fire blindly at his enemies. After the firepower was concentrated on one side of the cover, he moved to the right, hoping to get an angle at the two men on the elevated platform. Peeking out of cover, he aimed his pistol onto the men up there and pulled the trigger, shooting down one of them before retreating back. He waited for Blake to start the ship and prepare to let him in, hoping that his distraction had done the trick.

Surely enough, from behind the cover, he could hear the busy sounds of engines roaring through the hangar. With his back against the container, he wasn't sure if Blake had managed to take over the ship or not, but he felt something was working. As he looked up, he saw the ship rising up, with its wings knocking off the last man on the platform, while the force of the ship's hovering pushed away the three other men off their feet. From the boarding ramp, he saw who was standing by, waiting for him. He smiled, spotting Blake waving her hand over to him.

"Sun, get in here! Hurry!" she called over to him before pulling out her own weapon to fire on the men overhead at the other end. Sun then jumped over the box and proceeded to head over to Blake.

Suddenly, he stopped, seeing something sneak up behind Blake. While she was shooting, a lone figure approached her, with its arm up in the air, a vibroknife wrapped in its fingers. The figure soon revealed itself to be none other than Torchwick's droid, attempting to stab Blake.

"Look out!" Sun yelled to her, too late as the droid swung forward. But as it reached for her, it suddenly split in two, circuits fizzing out its wiring. Its two halves crashed onto the ground, right below Blake. The Faunus girl had her left arm stretching back, her machete pointing backwards after swinging it to cut the droid.

Sun sighed, relieved to see Blake unharmed. But it was too early to relax, when a blaster bolt woke him up to the danger of the gunmen above. Now that the ship was ready for blast off, he made his way towards the ship, off to join Blake to freedom.

"Sorry, boys, but looks like you're gonna have to find your own way out!"

As they kept firing, he ran as fast as he could, jumping up to the boarding ramp. Blake quickly raised her hand to catch Sun, pulling him up to the safety of the vessel. They both ran in, closing the ramp behind them before heading back to the cockpit.

Immediately, Blake jumped right onto the pilot's seat, Sun being seated at the other one beside her; as if she could trust him to fly such an elegant ship. Strapping themselves in, the former tapped into the last touches onto the controls before steering the ship towards the hangar bay doors.

Once she was straight, she laid her eyes on an alarming sight. She saw the hangar doors quickly close down, with a red light strobing on and off. The two sides were already thinning the gap, her one chance of leaving the place, once and for all, fading away with it.

No. Not this time. There was no more room for failure. If Blake remained trapped once more, that was it. The whole station would end her and her dreams of freeing people of strife would be gone with her. She had to take the chance, seize the moment to finally have her freedom again and reach for the stars to find her purpose. There was only one way out and she was going to risk everything for it. All was down to luck… No, she had to rely on hope to make the run.

With all her heart and strength, she pushed onto the control stick like a swordsman stabbing into his enemy on the ground, bringing the ship into full throttle. Sun yelled as the sudden thrust of speed threw him back, bracing for the full force of the acceleration.

In an instant, Blake's body felt the full pump of adrenaline coursing through her veins, her mind set on escaping the station. Every second spent felt like an hour, the world felt so eternally slow. She kept her mind on the door, never once minding the closing gap, or whether the ship was going to fit or not or, especially, Sun's constant shouting.

"We're not going to make it! We're going to crash!"

No. They will not crash. Blake had come too far to be blown up by a fool's errand. People needed her; that was her destiny. And destiny can never go unfulfilled.

Three seconds in…

Two…

One…

Just when the gap was finally about the shut, Blake made one hard pull of the stick, flipping the ship to its side and flying right through the closing exit. Blake had her eyes closed, preparing for the worst. At once, everything felt so quiet, just as the starfighter flew on, not knowing if she had made it out.

Upon opening up her eyes, however, she found herself looking towards the stars, in the vast emptiness of space. Was this where the galaxy's deceased would end up in after death, she thought. Did she not make it from the station? All was blank in her mind as she threw out all of her concentration onto the thrust.

No. Eventually, her senses came back to her. She was still holding onto the controls, the heat of the chase was still burning in her body and Sun's screaming was still ringing in her ear. Yes, she was still very much alive. With that in mind, she got back into the chase, realizing that she was already zooming off, and she wasn't going to stick around to find out just how long she had until the station blew up.

Pushing at full throttle, Blake sped her ship as far away as she could. Without looking back, she kept pushing forward. Getting further away, she counted down the distance to activate the jump to lightspeed, just enough to clear the station's safety field.

Three… Two… One…

Out of range, she pressed onto the coordinates and locked onto the vector of the hyperspace lane. In response, the ship began to pull back as the stars brightened into a screen of white before, finally, they were catapulted into the unknown, into the void of the unreachable and to somewhere, hopefully, safer.

* * *

Torchwick's lost prize soon zipped into hyperspace, leaving behind the man who was already evacuating the base. He was already out of the hangar doors and out to space when he saw, to his horror, his new toy was zapped to parts unknown.

His heart began to freeze cold, once again denied even the constellation prize of his already failing plot. Twice in a row, everything just came down crashing on him, one disaster after the other.

He was so angry, so enraged by the major disaster that befell upon his criminal empire… that he did nothing but stare. Stare at the stars and watch everything behind him crumble before his own transport warped into hyperspace, just seconds before the station would finally explode.

Now, travelling in hyperspace, he slumped down to his seat, weeping on the inside. His signature cane was caressed to his chest like a child's plaything as he sighed in sorrow. Yes, angry as he was, there was no point lashing out when you yourself had escaped. His favourite henchwoman, the one being who never failed him, stroking him on the head, his fedora in her other hand. His face still muddled with sadness, he looked over to Neo, the girl giving her father figure a warm smile.

"Neo. Answer me this." Torchwick sighed as he took his hat from her. "Am I losing my touch?"

The girl shook her head. No, there was no way she would give up on him. He may had lost so much, but at least, for now, they got away with the essentials to fall back on. Information, supplies, manpower and, most importantly, the big boss himself.

"Good girl." Torchwick put his hat back on. As soon as the ship was on smooth sailing, he got up and went to the holo-table behind him. The swirling disk-shaped projection of the galaxy slowly spun as he surveyed the next course to take.

So far, his major operations had failed. First, a great deal with the Corporate Sector was destroyed by a mere smuggler, a monk and… he didn't know who the other girl was supposed to be, but she was still a nuisance. And now, not only was he forced to destroy a base of operations and leave Jabba's men sprawling for answers, but he lost two Faunus brats and, worst of all, the secret ship he rightfully stole a while ago.

In all, Torchwick was livid. His efforts to garner great influence and power were all vaporized. The Corporate Sector would have lost interest in his deal by now, and the Hutts were sure to keep their slimy eyes on him. He was basically back at square one, forced to rethink more new plans for prominence.

After all, he still had a great amount of spice that he could always deliver to the Sector once he was done reorganizing things. And there were still more places to run and hide before he could reform his ground.

And yet, with all his backups, Torchwick still had resentment for the common fiends who ruptured his criminal force. With his fist clenched, smashed onto the side of the table, he vowed to get even. One of these days, if these fools ever showed in front of him again, he would be sure not to let them go again.

"One day, those beasts will pay." he growled. "They're not the only ones who can grow horns…"

* * *

Blake and Sun were safely out of harm's reach. In their bold attempt to escape, they had seized a mode of transportation out to travel through the galaxy.

But it wasn't just any transportation…

Travelling within the vortex of limitless speed, Blake finally set herself back, reclining her chair back to relax. Finally, she would have rest without a trouble in the world, for now anyways. While she rested, she scanned her eyes around at the room, assessing the clean, refurbished look of this mighty vessel.

She never thought she could be lucky enough to seize such a secretive ship, let alone something that would be of great use to anyone with ambition. The interior felt comfortable, void of anything that the old Mandalorian ships had before. Within this ship, Blake felt a more tranquil sense of absence of the aura she would feel when with her battle-hardened brethren. Here, she was definitely on her own, no odour or visual reminder of her past. Everything was free, no affiliation whatsoever.

Yes, it was still a missing ship from a powerful corporation. The only thing was, however, that corporation was too busy filling out demands for a war. They would be too occupied settling debts and resources for the war effort than worry about some missing craft.

In her mind, Blake wondered. If no one was going to look for this lost ship, could it be hers? Could she fill the empty role that the transport needed? She sat back to think; would it be worth it?

Blake got back up and monitored the systems from the computer. Accessing the ship's log, she searched through the schematics, viewing through all the tips and tricks of what it could do. She spent a minute going through the ship's features, and what she found immediately peaked her interests.

"Man. Those poor guys." Suddenly, Sun's voice came from behind her. He had taken the chance to view the lounge area behind the cockpit. "Didn't even have the chance to leave." His voice came off as a bit sorrowful, almost pitiful that they had to abandon a bunch of men.

Men, Blake knew, were already too corrupt…

"You know; we could have gone back and save those guys. It even hurts me to look at that place blow up with people in there." said Sun.

"They chose to serve that rotten scum, Torchwick." Muttered Blake, almost like it was a growl. "They deserved everything they got." Blake's hands gripped tightly, her heart growing cold with vivid memories of her past coming back again. In many ways, those men back there were like her. People who wanted the best in life, only to sell their souls to a greedy rat who delved into delusions of grandeur.

"That's the price you pay for joining a lost cause." _I should know_ , Blake thought.

"Whoa. That's deep coming from someone who thinks about saving the galaxy." Sun murmured.

Blake got back to the controls, keeping herself informed of the unique features the ship bolstered beneath its sleek design.

"Cloaking device is still intact." She pressed on the button, revealing the detailed interface of the cloaking device installed within the ship. This, among others, was the feature that got Blake somewhat enamoured to the ship with. "To think that a ship this big could have a one…" Sun bent over to look at the details, noticing the materials used to power the generator.

"Stygium-powered too." Stygium, a rare element only found in restricted mining facilities, particularly Aeten II. Moreover, stygium trades had been very controlled. After all, the Republic wouldn't want sneaky crooks fitting their ships with these crystals to bypass their security. Sienar Fleet Systems was working on models that would be used for combatting troublesome groups in the galaxy, so it made sense that it was one of the major companies given access to a supply of these crystals. "Not bad. These crystals are one of the rarest in the galaxy! You'd make a fortune selling this thing."

"No." As tempting as it was to make a fortune out of the ship, let alone maybe return it to Sienar to maintain her incognito status, there was probably more to gain from making the ship her own than giving it away. Everything she needed to travel freely across the galaxy was all right here, inside a ship that could sneak her into parts unknown.

This was the ship meant for her. It wasn't as intimidating as the old fighters of Mandalore, but perhaps that was for the best. "I think I'm gonna keep this ship. It suits me."

"Okay…" Sun rubbed the back of his head. His idea of getting a good amount of the fortune might had been stretching it too far. Oh well, scratch that off the list.

What was certain, however, that, now that Blake had been freed, he knew he had to let her enjoy the moment as best she could. That meant giving her the space she desperately needed. "So, now that you have your new ship, I guess we should part ways after this." he said.

"It's for the best." Blake responded. "I've already gotten your help. Now, we can call it even by fulfilling my part of the bargain."

"Alright, alright. I'll get out of your hair." groaned Sun, still not getting used to Blake's 'emo' nature. Seriously; when will she ever be more social to people?

"Where do you want me to drop you off?" asked Blake.

"Maybe drop me off at the nearest spaceport." told Sun. "I heard Malastare is good at this time."

"Sure." Blake checked in on the navigation screen, entering the coordinates on her route finder to locate the best possible path to Malastare.

Once she finished up, she turned around to see Sun walking back to the lounge, probably to doze off again before he'd be sent down. At that moment, Blake had to remember what Sun said to her, during their run across the station. When he said the galaxy couldn't be saved.

She honestly thought about it the whole time. She vowed to end the corruption and bring peace to those suffering under horrid conditions. But when she thought about it, at her state, was she really capable of doing such a large mission?

The hatred and anger from her time in the White Fang had given her such hope to end that suffering, that even as she left worse than it was, she still harboured the same level of desire to end it all herself. Not once did she consider the odds of her stance to end the violence by herself. She had no one to help her, and if she thought she would ever perform the impossible on her own, she'd only die a hopeless wreck. The delusions of a dreamer.

And that was when Sun's words reached her. Finally, after some stubbornness rubbed into her, Blake now understood where he was going. In fact, she always accepted the fact that it was impossible to do things for the galaxy on her own. The hubris of her former White Fang persona had driven her to become a ravenous beast, and as she left, it remained to drive her into reckless efforts to do her part. In the end, however, that instant action had gotten her nowhere, but being caught by someone she viewed as lower than her. If that was how things were going to go down, then she had no chance.

If things were going to get any better, Blake herself must find her limits, control her actions and still do good for the galaxy. Heroism at a smaller scale was still heroism, and saving lives was still the right thing to do.

Now, Blake knew what to do, and she had one person to thank for clearing things up for her.

"Sun?" she called to him. Sun was in the middle of the corridor when he turned around to see Blake calling out to him. "About that talk we had… about saving the galaxy?" One look at him, her habitual reluctance towards meeting the bloke had kept her briefly still. But she overcame it, mustering up to thank this street rat for helping her find her way.

"I may not be able to save the entire galaxy and make people believe in peace. But I will find a way to keep us from destroying each other and save as many lives as possible. I don't know how or when, but I will do what I can to help, regardless of the coming war."

Sun's ears twitched, flattered that Blake had actually listened to him. His signature grin smudged by a flushed frown. The frown then turned back around into a smile, but still riddled with disbelief that he was being commended by this anti-social Faunus girl.

"Lowering down your standards, I see?" he laughed. "That's great, Blake! Now, you're thinking. Nothing to be ashamed about by realizing your limits and shrinking down your fight. You're only making it easier to focus on your goals." Once he finished talking, he turned back and headed into the lounge, leaving Blake to blow off a bit more pride and spin her chair back to the flight controls.

She hid a small smile. She couldn't believe it; but Sun Wukong certainly surprised her today… in more ways than one.

* * *

Pixelito,

Malastare,

The trip to Malastare lasted almost hours. A relatively undisturbed journey to the capital city, where Blake flew her new ship down on the marsh just a few miles away from the city. Cloaked within the fog, she then floated right above the swamp water where Sun told her to drop him off at.

The monkey boy leapt off the ramp and splashed his feet into the murky water. Yet, his face remained neutrally slick, not revolted by the thick, icky liquid. He then looked up to the floating ship above him, waving back to thank Blake for the ride.

The Faunus girl was watching him from the ramp, making sure that he wouldn't kill himself by being eaten by any wild beast or worse. She did offer him a quicker ride to the city, but Sun insisted he'd rather find himself in the old fashioned way, the only way street thieves like him knew how.

Smiling, Blake was finally freed from the constant irritation of Sun's clumsy demeanour. Seeing that he could take care of himself, she was about to get back to the controls and leave the planet. Then, Sun called her from afar, forcing her to stop and turn to face him.

"Hey, Blake!" he yelled, cupping his hand to his mouth. "Don't expect this to be the last time we meet!" And just like that, he ran off, free to do whatever he wished. Blake, on the other hand, felt her skin crawl. Not that he was completely a nuisance, but after what happened in the past few days, she certainly did not want anything to do with that man… ever.

"Great…"

Regardless of what kind of idiot he was, Sun Wukong definitely left an impression on her. He had given her something to think about, helped her lower the standards of how to pursue great darkness and gave her a few new starts in how to make it all possible.

From this moment on, no matter how big the problems were, Blake could only do as much as she could, and if her slow starts could convince the governments of the Republic to start acting, then maybe, one day, she will get that happy ending for everyone.

* * *

 **A/N~ Yep! I decided to make Blake's ship the same type as the Rogue Shadow from the Force Unleashed. With a sleek design and a cloaking device, it was just the right ship for Blake.**


	26. Ice and Blight

**A/N~** **And now we move to a super long chapter, continuing with Blake as she finds her place in the galaxy. But in this chapter, she will soon find that it won't be a good start XD**

 **Just to warn you, esteemed readers, that this chapter has officially broken the record of the most words I've ever written~ So, hopefully, it won't be too long for you to read. But it will introduce to you a certain wise, old man that we all know and speculate about.**

 **Rest assured that the next chapter will be shorter, working as filler for the one after that.**

 **Reviews:**

 **TaitanoRules555**

 **Thanks a lot man!**

 **CT7567Rules**

 **Thanks to you as well. I am slowly forming up the story to fit newer characters in. Also, thanks for all the reviews of the past chapters as well**

 **Guest#1**

 **Glad to know my streak hasn't been broken for you** **Thank you XD**

 **Guest#2**

 **Oh, you were right! The title should tell you just as much of who shall join Blake in this chapter XD**

 **ShadowMann**

 **I have the setup ready for such an encounter between the sisters. Just stay tuned for more (y)**

 **Guest#3**

 **Ask and I shall deliver. No worries, bro/sis. Your praises are appreciated from the Remnant System side of the story**

 **And as always, thanks to The Man of a Thousand Names, CScene56, Flaming Falcon936, Grimlock987, SirFab3, Antialpaka and Twilight81598, who have followed and liked the story so far.**

* * *

 **Chapter 17: Ice and Blight**

 _ **Anger and the actions one wields with it, does not equate to justice…**_

 _Senate in uproar!_

 _As the Clone Wars kicks off, countless worlds within the Republic fear the possibility of attack from the traitorous Separatists!_

 _To bolster its strength and enter themselves into the political game within the Senate, the government of Atlas sends its most trusted representative, Senator Weiss Schnee, to appease the masses and convince Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to approve of the creation of more powerful weapons to reinforce the Republic army._

 _But pressures mount as word goes out to the public over the contributions of the young Senator. Mixed reception hits the Senate over their first impressions with the heiress of the Schnee Mining Corporation, whose unjust laws and rumoured cruelty towards its workers._

 _As the Republic mobilizes more troops onto the field, the people now await the next course of action from the Senate and its new addition._

* * *

 **REPUBLIC NEWS BROADCAST, Channel RT-2001-MonOum**

" _This has been Kano Thomas, coming to you live from the Republic embassy here on Boz Pity. Back to you, Cyril and Lisa."_

" _Thank you, Kano. In other news, another cargo ship from the Schnee Mining Corporation has been raided, yet again, by the Faunus organization, known as the White Fang. The once peaceful organization has claimed its tenth victim, in a series of continuous violent incursions against the planet."_

" _It's truly painful to hear the news, Lisa. To think, that such a peace-loving group of people, willing to find equal ground with the rest of the galaxy, could become such monsters like these guys. It's truly a shame."_

" _The Duchess of the planet Mandalore, which happened to be near the site of the most frequent attacks, is continuing to find a resolve to apprehend the leaders of the White Fang and lock them up for good, as they appear to be victims in their attacks as well."_

" _Rumours are even spreading that the Faunus group is also in league with other criminal syndicates and groups across the galaxy, but with their only sightings being around Mandalorian and Remnant space, no one is certain how much more these thugs are willing to damage next."_

" _That's right. It is urgent that the people of Remnant remain calm in times of strife. We may be at war, but we must also be aware of what is happening around us. If you see anyone suspicious of conspiring against the good leaders of Remnant, or the Senate, then do not relent. Serve our worlds with pride and dignity."_

" _That's not on the script, Lisa…"_

* * *

Coruscant,

Coruscant System,

Core Worlds,

The electronic store was buzzing with multiple holovid screens playing the live broadcast at the same time, bringing in a couple of bystanders to view from behind the glass window.

The first one, a Herglic hustler in the streets who had just lost his job as a bouncer from a nearby pub, whose body was almost four times larger than his counterpart, the Zabrak with a bandana tied around his head and a pair of biker goggles. Both of their faces were splashed with dirt stains, with their clothes torn in places. Both had their belt buckles equipped with little satchels hanging down to their thighs, each with a blaster slotted in them. The human had an eye patch covering his right eye, covering what appeared to be a long scar, only seen at the tips out of the patch.

The two of them were passing by when they caught the news on holovision, watching on as the two news reporters were broadcasting their reports live throughout the Republic. Both shared the same opinion towards the aforementioned perpetrators in the news, equally pitiful to the foolishness of such extremists. While the news was worth the watch to them, no one else around seemed to be any bit interested, the overcrowded alleys of the lower levels continued to pass on without stop. Heck with them; the Coruscanti way of life in the surface streets was always about moving on without care.

"Darn, Faunus…" growled the Herglic. "Those beasts are always causing trouble."

"Be careful what you say, Bred." warned the Zabrak. "Look at you. You remind people of them purgill's from those old children's stories. They'd call you a hypocrite for dissing them."

"I'm a pure Herglic. They are humans mutated with animal parts." explained Bred, defending his opinions with the usual excuse to justify insults towards the Faunus. "Thus, I'm the perfect one of my species and they're the freaks of the humans. Simple science, Krendo." Their faces hovered back to the screen, just as the news broadcast transitioned into a live feed on a conflict further away from the Republic. Ever since the White Fang started causing trouble in the Remnant System for more than a decade, they had been stirring up negative reception from citizens everywhere, convincing the galaxy that the Faunus were always scheming to usurp power for themselves. There was always something shifty about those half-breeds.

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if they conspire with the Confederacy." commented Krendo.

"What makes you say that?"

"Look at 'em. They're clearly terrorists, trying to look badass in front of the whole galaxy. I'd tell ya', the Separatists will have a field day with them." Even as the Zabrak had things to say about the Faunus, there was a sour taste in his voice that did not limit his distaste to that particular group. There was one other group that he most certainly wasn't fond of either. "Not that I care for the Republic anyway." As they left the shop, they continued on for a walk, sinking into the everyday flood of Coruscanti folk.

" _Peaceful organization_? What a joke! If this keeps up, I'd call the exterminators to deal with those rats!" The Zabrak laughed as they both joined the crowd in the business of the streets.

Their conversation sheered by the noise of the bustling crowd, they were free to talk to their hearts' content, to scheme for what was to come for the galaxy. A season of changes was about to happen, and these two strangers from a faraway world were to ignite the inferno.

"As for that Senator from Vale, I've got news for him." he snarled with contempt, eager to move forward and begin his plans to take back what was lost.

But unknown to the two of them, someone else just happened to be in the area. Another stranger, hailing from a distant world, who was now in the heart of the Republic to carry out a mission of her own.

The mysterious figure happened to overhear the talk between the two men, disgusted by their words. She came here to find meaning to her mission, only to end up in the most important world in the Republic, further away than the wilder sides of the galaxy.

For now, however, she had to focus on other duties. There was a call from a nearby contact that requested the aid of people of her calibre. If she needed to fulfil some earnings, a fast job would have to do; something that didn't require much bloodshed, except only when necessary. The streets of Coruscant were sure to supply her with the opportunities she needed to carry out her goals, even if she would have to face the darkest elements of the underworld to do it.

Up above, however, was where the action would kick off, but as far as Blake was concerned, she had no time to deal with the upper class.

* * *

Atlas Senatorial Office,

Galactic Senate Building,

Coruscant,

Weiss sat herself down at her desk, reading through a projected image of a document in front of her. She scrolled through the contents with the swipe of her finger, putting it back to her chin to evaluate the next section. For the past hour, she had read the files as much as she could before she would put them to good use. The readouts for the new machines Atlas had for the Republic were constantly studied upon to further emphasize her understanding of how they should work on the battlefield.

Her advisor had suggested she just memorized the details, given the amount of time she had left before her upcoming session with the Senate. No, that was not enough. She had to understand exactly why these new weapons were important, how effective they would be when finally deployed and more importantly, how she was to convince the Supreme Chancellor of their power. This was to be her first official face-to-face meeting with him and she did not want to spoil any chance she had.

Days had passed since Weiss finally fulfilled her father's request to move to Coruscant, where she shall live for the rest of her senatorial days. After her unwelcomed assistance of the strike against the White Fang base at home, she would have been disciplined by him. Thankfully, with help from her sister, Winter, she was let go, finally given some praise for her efforts. Nevertheless, it didn't remove the sour feeling that she had tipped a nerve in Father. She wished he would understand how much her people meant to Atlas, then maybe he wouldn't be so hesitant to send her off.

Her apartment, not too far from her workplace, was a convenient start to her warm welcome to the planet-wide metropolis. The heart of the Republic had certainly amazed her when she first came her.

When not pushed to do her work, she would gaze at how complex and thriving the city was from the view of her new office, wondering of the day for Atlas to expand to such heights. The air in the certainly wasn't as pure as it was back home, due to the lack of the state-of-the-art air purifiers that the capital city of Solitas was famed for. And yet, with all the bustling messiness of the urban ecumenopolis, it still boasted a magnificent display that Atlas could only hope to accomplish.

But for now, her task was right here, in the Senate chamber where she shall shine to gain the respect and pride of the rest of the Republic. Her focus was on gaining the trust of the Chancellor to approve of Atlas' upcoming war machines.

Everything had to be perfectly done. Her advisors again advised against it, but they shouldn't fault for being a perfectionist. For a thousand years, the Republic knew nothing but peace. A war had shattered that peace from out of the blue, by ungrateful worlds who decided to secede from the larger organization. In this state and time, there was no room for error. Perfect results were needed.

So, Weiss was just content having to study the schematics before her upcoming meeting with Chancellor Palpatine, if she could succeed in getting his interest. She had to make sure her passion for Atlas' war effort gave her the advantage over the noisy clowns that were the other foolish Senators who dared to underestimate her on the first day as one of them.

Speaking of which, a thought began to swim in her head, distracting her from properly focusing on the presentation. A swirling vortex of caution that had surrounded her ever since she first became Senator. A series of events had transpired that had her cautiously watch out for her own well-being. Not just the war which would see her fullest potential, but the horrid thought of being targeted for assassination. The night she was attacked by that lone Mandalorian had her fired up to take action should she be threatened again. With the war about to fully begin, Weiss was far warier of her life than ever before. Even as she sat at her desk, she had both Myrtenaster and her revolver by her side, ready to strike back at a moment's notice. Not to mention; she also got word that the Senator of Naboo was also recently threatened… several times. In these times, it seemed no one was invulnerable, not even the most elegant of Senators.

Just then, Weiss heard the buzzer of her door ring, distracting her. Much to her annoyance, she sighed, letting the person come in. When the doors opened, it was no person. Rather, it was her droid assistant, P-3NY. The advanced servant droid had been asked to survey the area, in case anything was about to happen outside the room. Truthfully, Weiss just needed the droid out of her sight lest she'd be advised again and again.

"Miss Schnee." the droid called with a cheerful voice that Weiss didn't really find comforting at all.

"What is it, P-3NY?" groaned Weiss, moving her hand to feel her forehead. "Can't you see I'm practicing here?"

"The next Senate meeting is in ten minutes." informed P-3NY. "I just thought it would be a good idea to remind you of the event."

"I do not need you to inform me of the upcoming meeting." uttered Weiss. "Just get the schematics ready. The General is counting on me to convince the Chancellor himself to approve of Atlas' new war plans."

"Right away, Miss Schnee." P-3NY bowed, seemingly unaffected by Weiss' annoyed voice. The droid walked towards the table and tapped into the datapad to upload the files from Weiss' desk into her own data core within her head.

After coupling up all the info she needed, Weiss could finally stand up and take a deep breath before she would present herself to the Senate. She brushed her fingers into the fringes of her neatly tied hair, pulling down the left sleeve of her graceful ice-blue dress. The moment she had been building up to was about to come, and she was to shine against the odds to prove her place in that chamber.

* * *

Vale Senatorial Office,

Galactic Senate Building,

Coruscant,

The tip of his cane tapped onto the soft, red fabric of the carpet below him. His eyes, hidden behind a pair of antique square shades, eyeing the afternoon scene of the busy world of Coruscant, admiring the beauty of the blue blanket of sky behind the endless lanes of air traffic; the only natural form of beauty within this planet-wide ecumenopolis.

Senator Ozpin missed the natural wonders of his homeworld of Vale, wondering if he had the time to return home to enjoy the serene breeze of the high tides of the current season. Unfortunately, the pressures of being a member of the Galactic Senate were far too important to be side-lined for a simple vacation, even more so at this very moment.

He was among those who didn't wish to see the whole galaxy plunge into chaos and war, for fear that the Remnant System would also be involved in the quagmire of violence that once threatened to destroy its integrity long before its entry into the Republic. Alas, the day he dreaded the most had come, welcomed by the thunderous claps of joy and the cries for retribution against the seditionists who 'abandoned' the grand organization.

If only they would understand, if only they could just put themselves in the shoes of those who left the Republic and feel their needs to leave… How else would peace be achieved if everyone was going to grab their guns and start firing without a compromise? Ozpin certainly thought of the need for negotiations, not a declaration of war. Fellow Senators like Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, Padme Amidala and a handful of others thought so too. Everyone tried to stop the violence from reaching the ears of the Senate before it would erupt into chaos.

In the end, however, the majority won; the people who cheered for the promise of war, the glory of their respective planets, and the prospect of the spoils of war. The blood and tears of the galaxy…

All Ozpin could do now was to focus on how to prepare Vale for war, speak to the other Senators of Remnant on how to prepare at their own ends, and formulate the plans to move further. While the military leaders took their own initiatives to chase the Separatists away from the borders of Remnant and the Outer Rim, it was up to the Senators to build up order and security to the chaos from the war's declaration.

Just then, the doors opened up, just as he turned around to sit back. Ozpin was met with a woman, who came in with a datapad kept into her arm and a sharp-tipped cane in her other hand. Wearing a long white coat that draped down to her knees, along with a pair of long black tight pants and a purple undershirt, she too wore a pair of spectacles that she pushed up as she talked to Ozpin.

"The Valesian Council is expecting a solid answer regarding their request on opening up the Home Fleet, Senator Ozpin." reported Glynda Goodwitch, who was Ozpin's most trusted secretary. The former school teacher had been elevated to such a position ever since the man before her was elected into the role of Senator, with Ozpin's own roots originating in education as well. Now, however, well acquainted in the troubles of galactic law, Glynda was now pressured with a myriad of difficult assessments and complaints from the Valesian High Council, the governing body of their home planet which was completely disorganized over the sudden declaration of war.

"Glynda." sighed Ozpin, with a voice so calm, everyone could tell he and Glynda were two completely different people by character. "Vale is deep within protected territory. I simply cannot foresee a Separatist invasion happening there. The only places we have to worry about are the worlds closest to the borders with the Outer Rim. A recent skirmish on Mad'kin Rian has just occurred, so it would be better if the Fleet reinforces that sector."

"So, what are you going to say to the Council?" asked Glynda, finger ready to fill in the response onto her records.

"Simple. Continue sending in troops and have them focus on sending them to the borders as planned. Any extra manpower can be distributed across the rest of the galaxy to assist the clone armies in the other fronts." explained Ozpin. "Besides, we need to conserve energy and fuel for that Fleet when we **really** need it."

The Council had the right to be concerned, Ozpin knew just as much. It was the same problem as most of the other worlds in the Republic were facing. The thousand years of peace had left the galaxy without a proper army, since most of the military power the Republic once held had been absorbed into more civil use for the individual protection of each of their worlds. The only solution to fill the void was a sudden deployment of new troopers from a world of cloners, far beyond the reaches of the known galaxy. No one knew fully well how these new soldiers would work. Everyone had their doubts about how effective they would be as opposed to real flesh and blood.

Then, the Chancellor showed just how massive the army was and everyone started to change their minds in an instant, more so when they were shown absolute proof from the battle on Geonosis. Soldiers clad in white armour, overpowering a colossal army of droids. It was enough to wow the masses and convince them to approve of the clone army.

However, Ozpin reserved his enthusiasm for the Remnant System's own contributions to the Republic. Unlike the other worlds of the Republic, the ones in Remnant retained their armies, with a special case approved by the Chancellor during the first years of peace. They still had soldiers trained constantly to maintain order and security within the system, the neighbouring systems and the colonies they had. Now that war was coming, the governments of the other planets were, unlike Vale, more eager to send their men and women to battle, especially Atlas, who had aspirations of being **the** army the Republic needed. Ozpin could imagine the sheer disappointment slapped onto them when Palpatine chose the clones over them, especially from Atlas since they were so determined to make themselves the main contributors of the war effort.

However, there was one planet that was his greatest concern yet…

"As of now, I am more worried about Vacuo." he sighed, his stance as straight as a pole. "These recent years, they are not really pleasant about how we're running Remnant. They're becoming more and more uncooperative than we can handle. If this keeps up, then we are in for a major crisis in our hands."

Ozpin couldn't fault the people of Vacuo for dissenting the Republic for the lack of action against their strife. Thousands of years of conflict and fractured relations, the planet had long suffered under over-industrialization and the impact of colonial influence by the other kingdoms. With all of the troubles and no solution in sight to end them, the people were up in open revolt. As he spoke, Ozpin was informed that the capital of Sunwell that riots were filling the shadier parts of the city, while in other smaller settlements and mining towns, the workers were going on strike, threatening to plummet the current government to the ground to join the growing opposition of the Separatist Alliance, to give Count Dooku of Serenno a larger sphere of influence in Remnant.

If Vacuo should fall, then the rest of Remnant was vulnerable to a Separatist invasion, as the planet's close proximity to the Outer Rim would open up a large gap big enough to allow a Separatist fleet to fly right through and attack everything else in sight.

All Ozpin and the rest of Remnant could do was negotiate peace and vow to help out anyway they could, but with war looming, their efforts had to be cautiously monitored to avoid losing both goals.

"They're just a bunch of delusional, laid-back delinquents, sir." sighed Glynda. "I would associate their unrest with their lack of commitment to proper duty for our system."

At that moment, Ozpin stood firm. Not crossed by Glynda's remark, but certainly not going to sit still and let silly misconceptions cloud the views of those who worked in the Senate. For far too long, he had heard the voices of those who would speak without thought, to hurl insults or proclaimed 'truths' without considering insight on the people they tend to target. In his mind, nothing could ever be solved with blind threats.

"Yet, they have survived all this time with some form of infrastructure." cleared Ozpin, reminding Glynda of the incredible persistence of the Vacuoan people throughout the centuries. "Laid-back or not, they are still a vital key to the defence of our system. One break could easily allow the Separatists into our system. I would advise you to not speak your opinions aloud in front of any Vacuoan."

"Apologies, Senator Ozpin." Glynda apologized, bowing down lightly. Sometimes, the stress of work had gotten the best of her discipline. With Vale constantly calling on Ozpin for a course of action, there was only so much she could take with a firm flick of the wrist.

"We must remind ourselves of how we choose to address people in the Senate in these desperate times, Glynda." Ozpin advised with a knowing smile. Glynda Goodwitch may be quite ill-tempered when push came to shove, but as long as he knew her, which was considerably long, she was someone who valued the integrity of Remnant's people as much as he did.

A red light soon beeped onto a control panel on Ozpin's desk. He pressed on the button to receive the call directed for his office. From the small projector, the holographic image of an elegant-looking man appeared. The Alderaanian garments and coat that the man wore had Ozpin smile at his recognizable image.

"Ah, Senator Organa." called Ozpin. "I trust that the Senate is ready."

"Ready for another mess of noise, old friend." the Senator of Alderaan, Bail Organa, laughed from the image. "I shall see you there." At once, Ozpin nodded and ended the call, the projection disappearing into the panel. At his signal, Glynda moved to the door as Ozpin rose from his seat to leave the room and join the Senate in another important meeting.

The two Valesian officials left the room and walked along the curved hallway, on their way to the wide-open room of the Senate chamber. Glynda sighed again; this time, anticipating another kerfuffle of shouts and cries of Senators desperate for action. She could remember how often the arguments would go left and right, almost for hours as they bickered about issues without end. All of that noise gave her migraines even as she tried to sleep in bed. Just how Senator Ozpin could last this long without a single disgruntled groan was beyond her…

"I just hope the Senate is in a listening mood." she said.

"They always are, Glynda." assured Ozpin before he let out that random, yet philosophical humour that he was so well-known for. "They're just not very good at listening, let alone talking."

"And what makes you different than them?" wondered Glynda.

"Everything, really." answered Ozpin again, causing Glynda to squint her eyes in perplexing silence. "We're all different, and unfortunately, those differences are rubbing off of each other the wrong way." Finally, the secretary nodded, understanding that in the eve of war, everyone can be drawn to an edge. Still, it wouldn't get rid of the feeling that if a normal peace-era session was annoying enough, then what would the room be like in the beginning of a war.

Surely enough, by the time they reached the final hallway next to the Senate chamber, the voices of hundreds of Senators could be heard like mere murmurs behind the wall separating them and those outside. Once they reached the entrance, they were soon graced with the thunderous roars echoing throughout the gigantic room. Ozpin and Glynda entered through the door, passing the pair of blue-robed Senate guards and stepped onto the repulsorpod platform. Throughout the rotund room, they could see the hundreds of other platforms being attended by the other political representatives of the Republic.

Small camera drones began to fly around the floating platforms, providing a constant feed of the session for broadcasting or recording. Other Senators began to pour in, joining in the conundrum of shouts towards one another in this tumultuous time. Ozpin remained quiet, taking in the loud, chaotic scene around him.

He hadn't seen this much turmoil in any political meeting before this. In fact, the Senate had never come to blows against each other this much since the aftermath of the Unification War that gave rise to the very Republic he was serving in. People were already throwing fits of disorderly emotions right before the arrival of the Chancellor. It was a stark contrast to the meetings before the war, when people were, at the very least, more civil and quieter.

Among the myriad of arguing Senators, Ozpin looked around the room, spotting some of his closest associates and his greatest opponents, all in attendance. At the other side, he could see Senator Organa on his platform, along with Senator Mon Mothma from Chandrilla and Onoconda Farr of Rodia; the latter of whom had his head down out of concern for a personal matter on his homeworld. Others in attendance included the newer arrivals in the Senate, such as the new representative from the world of Kamino, allowing Ozpin the first glimpse at the mysterious race of the cloners responsible for the birth of the new soldiers of the Republic.

Otherwise, the rest of the room was filled with the squabbling echoing throughout. Ozpin remained quiet as he saw the tower podium of the Supreme Chancellor rise from the floor. The hemispherical platform rose to reveal three figures who were none other than the Chancellor and his aides. The former Senator of Naboo clad in his red robes as he graced the stage, appearing before the still noisy masses.

"ORDER!" Mas Amedda yelled, an echoing wave of power resonated through the ears of all present. Immediately, the arguments ceased, the voices of hundreds of beleaguered Senators were silenced at the commanding shout of the aide. When the crowd went quiet, Amedda then continued on with the commencement of today's session. "The Chair shall now welcome the honourable Supreme Chancellor to the Chamber."

Palpatine moved forward, beginning with a speech to welcome everyone for their attendance. As any good Senator would, Ozpin kept his visage on the man, ready to assess the course of the debating.

"It is with great pride that I stand here before you all." welcomed the Chancellor with words with kind gusto. A man who had and was worth great respect, as far as Ozpin knew him. The two had exchanged many good talks together, specifically for the mutual aid between Remnant and Naboo prior to the Trade Federation's blockade. Unlike Valorum, Palpatine had a vision to This was a man he could value in the fields of political battles. However, as it would seem, not everyone was fond of his term as Chancellor…

"Something about the Chancellor really creeps me out." whispered Glynda. Thankfully, the loudspeakers weren't on for everyone to hear the comment. Ozpin turned his head slightly enough to sneak an eye on his assistant.

"Chancellor Palpatine is a respected man, Glynda. He knows what he's doing." whispered Ozpin. The people had called for his election with the utmost support after his handling of the post-crisis situation regarding the Trade Federation's invasion of his homeworld of Naboo.

However, Glynda's comment on the Chancellor still held some creepy truth. Ozpin was regarded as among the wisest men in the Senate by many of his peers. Even he couldn't help but notice how uncomfortable Palpatine's campaign against the Separatists was. As noble as it sounded, he couldn't help but feel something… off.

Midway through his thoughts, however, he was interrupted when Mas Amedda brought in the first speaker of the meeting. And that was where Ozpin would finally have his chance to evaluate the newest addition to the Senate.

"The Chair recognizes the Senator from the planet Solitas." When the call was made, Ozpin eyed the platform on his right. It detached, allowing it to fly forward to bring its respective Senator's presence forward to be viewed and heard by all.

Atop the platform, Ozpin had the full view of the young Weiss Schnee, finally presenting herself in all of her visual glory, waiting for her inner pride to burst out.

"Ah, so that is Senator Schnee." whispered Ozpin. At the time of Weiss' first appearance a few days ago, he was in Vale, corresponding to the demands carried out by the Valesian High Council. Thus, he wasn't able to catch the Atlesian Senator's debut. But from what was told, there wasn't anything significant that proved her metal, so now that he was present, he could see what Weiss could do.

Standing perfectly firm on her platform, Weiss' blood boiled with anticipation and determination, willing to show the galaxy what she was capable of. For years, she trained tirelessly for this moment; to stand amongst the most important people in the Republic and against a threat looming over the horizon. Her people too had spent the many years within the Republic to prove their might.

She had the whole Senate's attention onto her. Eyes were open and ears were perked for what she had to say. The only question was; just how many would be enamoured by her voice, pulled in by her charm? The most important question of them all was, of course, whether the Chancellor would be willing to listen…

This was her chance to find out.

Her head held up high, her throat cleared before the platform's speakers were activated. Her fingers intertwined with each other, just as they would during her moist beautiful performances on the musical stage. Like an artist, she had her passion built into her heart, ready to let it out with the best she had ever spoken with.

"Fellow Senators." she began. "I, Weiss Schnee, Senator of our glorious Solitas, have come before you to deliver some grand plans for the war against the Separatists." Her voice sang through the room like a wildfire, powerful and fuelled with vigour. It was as if she was already at the chorus of her song performances, straight to the point from the beginning.

From that moment on, she then continued to pour in her effort to the speech, carrying on. All the while, the Senate seemed to be courteous enough to remain silent. But what made Weiss even more pleased, and nervous at the same time, was that the Chancellor, too, was paying attention. He was the man whose approval she needed to earn, not everyone else's. If she could appease him, the rest of the Senate shall follow as well; given the assumption that they, too, vie for Palpatine's support.

"As among the few worlds in the Republic to have the manpower needed to send able troops to the field of combat, the Remnant System will be sending in more reinforcements to assist the clone armies of the Republic.

As such, as the technological centre of Remnant, Atlas will be providing new plans to build new machines and weapons to better prepare the armies against the droids. From this, I wish to be granted an audience with none other than his Excellency, the Supreme Chancellor, to witness the full power of our newest weapons."

Ozpin carefully listened. So, that was what Atlas was planning, he thought. Not only was she trying to glorify the capabilities of the Remnant forces, but Weiss was also trying to help her planet gain the trust of the Chancellor. Now that the cat was out of the bag, Ozpin had to imagine what would it mean for the current crisis with Vacuo.

If Atlas was out to intensify the contribution efforts from Remnant, it could leave a very dangerous rift between the more belligerent worlds and Vacuo, who were bending towards separation from the Republic. Such an aggressive move would potentially be another blow to the negotiations, as Atlas would be sure to seek Vacuo's resources to fuel their construction of these weapons.

Not to mention; the way Weiss presented herself to the Chancellor had Ozpin guessing her motives. Her addressing specifically to him felt too much like a move to dissuade the other representatives from acting against her. It was a bold move, no doubt. Palpatine was not an easy man to please, so Weiss Schnee was clearly playing a risky gamble at this point.

Just like her father, it seemed…

"Hmph." Ozpin heard a small hum from Glynda, feeling her discomfort.

"Is something bothering you, Glynda?" asked Ozpin.

"Nothing, sir." said Glynda. "It's just that… I would rather prefer her sister to be in charge. Weiss Schnee is a bit too young to be given a seat in the Senate."

"As far as I've heard, so is the Senator of Naboo, and yet, she, too, is among us." cleared Ozpin.

Well, not technically, as he noticed the absence of the young lady at the platform for the representatives of Naboo. Rather, in her place, her trusted Gungan representative stood to take charge. Where was she at this time? He heard that she was abducted by the Separatists right before the war began, so perhaps, it must have been a traumatic experience for the young Senator. She probably was being held back to recover from her capture, resting elsewhere, while the rest of the Senate convened in another mess of uncoordinated discussions.

A pity, really. She was probably one of, if not, **the** most vocal opponent of the build-up of the Republic army, and for her to not be present, it sent a chilling void among the other opponents of the military bill, including Ozpin himself.

But back to the Senator of Atlas, Ozpin carefully evaluated her performance as she spoke, wishing to see more of what her stance was in the middle of the crisis. He took into account her attitude, her posture, her voice and, above all, her opinions when lined up with the rest of the Remnant senators, all of whom were also watching their newest colleague.

"I wish to present the new project that Atlas is currently planning to launch to assist the Republic in the war against the Separatists to all who wish to see it. Additional units are on the way, while more will be developed as we speak." announced Weiss. Her desire for recognition by the highest authority was hoped to encourage the Chancellor to take up her planet's ideas. With a hand to her chest, she finished it up with one final plea to Palpatine. "With all due respect, your Excellency, I hope you shall consider my offer."

Once Weiss ended her speech, Ozpin snuck gazes at the other Remnant Senators, who were all whispering to each of their advisors over the whole situation. Nothing seemed to be too threatening or the least bit malicious that affected them. At best, it was probably careful consideration.

Indeed, however, Ozpin knew who the young Senator was really aiming for. The Chancellor was then bending towards his aide, with Amedda whispering into Palpatine's ear over the offer Weiss had spoken about.

Unfortunately, while he discussed on, the biggest response Weiss was about to get was about to come down on her. As she anticipated, a chorus of loud rambling began as soon as she finished.

"What makes you think that the Republic needs Solitas' machines?" shouted the Senator from Taris. "We will do well enough with the clone armies! We do not need to sacrifice men and women to the war!" The rant was supported by multiple applauds by some of the other Senators, confirming just how crude they were when it came to defying her father's company and the Atlas government. Weiss saw it coming, and she had just the response to fight back.

"With our new technology, the tide of the war shall be in our favour. Atlas will contribute its resources to the development of weapons that shall put an end to this conflict." she told with calmness, added with seriousness to show how much Atlas' developments would mean for the war.

"Is it Atlas that shall contribute?" retorted another Senator, the one hailing from Trughan Prime, snarky as ever. "Or is it your father's puny company?"

"The Schnee Mining Corporation has done quite enough to benefit from the crisis that we face! Your father will grab the spoils while we lick our wounds!" added the Senator from Amdor.

On the other hand, there were a few Senators who gave their backing to the Schnee family, all of them whom Weiss knew since being first introduced into political training. These were the people who benefited from cooperation with the Schnee Mining Corporation for countless generations, and one of them, being the Senator from the mining world of Uefamia, was quick to point out a known fact of hypocrisy.

"Funny you should say that, Senator Rakeen." chuckled the Senator, taunting his counterpart with a finger to his chin. "Considering that you are still one of our benefactors of the tibanna trade between Uefamia and the Schnee."

"Who are you to decide who benefits from what?!" another Senator shouted.

Soon, the whole court became a festival of angry shouts and resonating taunts that sent the entire Senate into a quagmire. Insults were shot out like blaster bolts in war, fists were flying in the air instead of being thrown towards each other's faces. The chaos flew the Senate into disarray, forcing Weiss to remain silent as she pitifully watched everyone squabble like a bunch of children.

Meanwhile, Ozpin, too, quieted himself down to watch how Weiss was going to react. Seeing her in this state of silence, he wondered just what the outcome would be once Mas Amedda made the inevitable call to hush the arguments. From her speech, he felt a mixture of thoughts towards the young Senator.

At one side, he had the usual cautious side, viewing Schnee's support for Remnant's wartime development as an obstacle in the way of better peace with Vacuo. If Atlas was making an effort to enhance military might for the system, it could push the Vacuoans into full revolt until chaos would reign in the streets against their government.

On the other hand, he was yet to see just how far Weiss would go to improve her status amongst the other Senators. The true potential was yet to be seen, the spark of passion that determined her place in the Senate. What drove her to come here and represent Solitas as one of them? Just what was the deep cause of her joining them in this hollow room?

"ORDER!" On time, Mas Amedda yelled to sit the entire Senate down. When the voices were silenced, everyone paused their fury towards one another. With so much room to breathe now, Weiss finally calmed. Within the storm of cries, she maintained her posture, not once giving into the temptation of shouting out and defending herself and her people. These Senators, after all, clearly wanted to undermine her spirits, not just because of Atlas and her father's company.

It's because within this court of full-grown, experienced officials, she seemed like a little child compared to them. An inexperienced toddler amongst the more educated elementary students, hoping to receive the highest honour of a proper diploma. That much was true when she met Senator Deechi of Umbara the previous time, when he underestimated her.

Now, however, she was here to prove herself; to show the Senate and the Republic that Atlas had a proud and able representative to lead them forward against the Separatist threat. She had trained so much to get this far, and she wasn't about to lose it all because of the expectations of the Senate.

But as one of the Senate, Weiss needed to gain their trust, and to gain that trust, she needed to let them know whose side she was on. If she could convince the Chancellor of her loyalty, then she would place herself in a high position amongst his greatest allies.

"Regardless of what all of you might feel about me, or my family…" she began. "It will not deter me of my position as Senator of Solitas." Her mind took her back to the days when she began her training as Senator. Her father afforded all of the classes he could find for her to help her pursue her path to greatness, far more than what the Junior Legislative Program of the Republic would ever offer. Once she graduated from the highest of the academies, Weiss was thrown into the task of representing her world in the Senate and deepen itself within the greater forces of the Republic.

No one would tell her where her place was and who she needed to be. Weiss Schnee was the only one who could decide her fate.

"The fact remains that we are at war with ungrateful worlds that have left the Republic to follow that foolish Duke from Serenno." scoffed Weiss, remembering the old man who had betrayed the trust of the Republic as of late by becoming the leader of the Separatists. "We deserve to gain prominence within the galaxy. How can we gain that when several worlds are about to wage war on us all?"

This time, murmurs began to ring throughout, Senators exchanging silent whispers between themselves and the other occupants of each of their platforms. Weiss heard the whole Senate engage in a chorus of silent hissing and muttering, seeing that she got their attention. A grin formed, satisfied that she was getting results in her favour.

"If we are all willing to make ourselves greater than those who secede, then let us help you. Let Atlas and other developing worlds build the machines necessary to lessen the loss of lives. We will hold no quarry against those who oppose us either." Weiss spoke as if she sang her beautiful voice through a concert, coercing the Senators to listen to her without sparking a riot on her. True to her word, she would allow Atlas to provide technical support to the already gigantic clone army, while also giving out the manpower dedicated to reinforcing Remnant's borders with the Outer Rim. Whether they liked it or not, her planet was the best chance they had against a Separatist assault from her system.

"We will give you and the clone army the edge to combat the traitors of the Republic." she continued, voice getting higher with vigour. "With our weapons and resources, our armies shall prevail." The murmurs got louder, almost affected by her speech. If anyone had a mind to shut her down again, it would have been an instantaneous chain reaction. Before they could seize the chance to hammer in her place. With all her heart, Weiss gave one final bit of words with devotion and perseverance.

"As Senators of the greater Republic, we should be committed to giving the upper hand to our troops and our government. Therefore, I will not back down until these traitors are dealt with and the war finally over."

All at once, Weiss found an unexpected flurry of cheers that roared throughout the chamber. A slightly greater applause than earlier, but certainly one she could accept. Looks like there were some who could see to reason of her cause. With that, she couldn't be happier with the results. She had built a solid standing within the Senate, gaining the trust of those who were unsure of her, only to be rightfully drawn in to support her claims.

It wasn't the perfect results she wanted, but they were only a side goal. The main prize was right in front of her, in the middle of the room. All hopes were on the approval of the Chancellor to see through the plans Atlas had for the war.

"I have to admit; Miss Schnee has guts." commented Glynda, a finger around her chin. All the while, Ozpin had seen what Weiss Schnee was capable of doing. From what was heard, she had definitely exceeded the threshold of what he'd expect from someone of her family. The glory she sought was evident as she fuelled the support for her family's company. However, when it came to the crisis at hand, she seemed to have appealed to the need for worlds to cooperate in order to combat the enemy. Even if their trusts were still not guaranteed, they could at least praise Schnee for her efforts to rouse support.

There was the line that was drawn between Weiss and her father. What separated her from Jacques was how she was indeed putting the people's interests to heart. Though, Ozpin had the feeling her loyalty only laid to **her** people. The high-class society of the Atlas that had favourable status at the top, not the needy more down below. There was still that emphasis on the technologically superior power of her world instead of the entire people who need the resources.

Such cruel tragedy, then, that the family hadn't changed since the time of Nicholas Schnee. In this era of prosperity through conflict, the rich still favoured **only** the rich, while the poor and needy remained stranded in the shadows of greed…

Weiss Schnee had to do a little more to show for if she wanted to be on the good books of the other Senators of Remnant. Right now, however, there was only one man she needed to appease to move forward.

Palpatine and Amedda had been discussing about the offer before Weiss made that tremendous effort to give that speech. And when the older man listened, needless to say, there was a spark of power. Like a snap of a finger, she had sparked the cheers and applause of Senators in the chamber. That was something he was completely caught by surprise.

Once they were done whispering, Weiss watched the man face her, the feeling of pride and enlightenment in the eyes of the very leader of the Republic filling her with joy at the thought of being acknowledged.

When he opened his mouth to respond, her hands rubbed against each other. While she enjoyed the thrill of speaking out and the reward of being clapped at for it, there was the slightest doubt that Palpatine would even consider her, a young teenager amidst a crowd of fully experienced men and women from across the Republic, as anyone worth noting.

"I must say, Senator Schnee." he finally spoke with a smile. "Of all of my experience as a politician in the Republic, I have never seen such a brilliant performance. The ovation you receive is well earned."

Weiss' heart warmed, her body feeling almost numb with glee at the compliment Palpatine gave her. The doubts she had, gone. The man gave her well appreciated praise for her stance in the Senate. But all that remained next was whether he would approve of the ideas that Atlas presented.

"Very well." complied Palpatine with enthusiasm. Weiss' heart nearly skipped a beat when he accepted the offer. "I shall grant your request for me to view these new weapons. We shall see if this new war machine will be the technology we need to combat the threat of the Separatists." Her smile grew wider and prouder as the Senate soon clapped along for her. Finally, the chance of being in the gracious side of the Republic, to blend with the masses who wanted the war to be won.

Perhaps now, Atlas could finally see how capable she was, on and off from Senatorial duties. Maybe now, her father would realize her potential at last.

"Hmmm." hummed Glynda. "It seems our new Senator has managed to appease the Chancellor, after all."

"At the behest of her father, no less." sighed Ozpin. While Weiss did an impressive job so far, as long as Jacques was the one pulling the strings from behind the scenes, she needed a lot more to prove for Ozpin to see her as a worthy representative. Not as someone who clung to her father for approval, but a standout Senator on her own right.

Yet, the first impressions she made did earn her a good remark. With time and experience, Weiss Schnee would branch out as a figure of her own. "Still, not many her age could have ever hoped to lend his or her voice within the Senate Chamber. It is something worth giving credit to."

* * *

 _Hours later_

Weiss' Apartment,

Coruscant,

The Senate meeting soon went on with more or less the same results. A mixed court of people unable to find common ground over how to pursue the war and what they should give to support the development of the military.

None of that really mattered for Weiss. If there was anyone who benefitted the most from that meeting, it was her. She won the trust of the Chancellor and in a few days, she will be sitting down with him, along with the other Atlas officials involved with the upcoming presentation.

After her first day of the job, Weiss returned to her apartment, leaving her office behind to take a day's rest. She'd probably stay a little longer, but she felt that she needed to take a small rest after the long trip from Solitas. Even during her awe-inspiring first day, she couldn't maintain a perfect focus from space lag.

Even so, she took it upon herself to start working on the next task of studying more diplomatic matters she was to prepare for the next session in the Senate.

With the afternoon brightening up the ecumenopolis, Weiss was seated at her desk, in her apartment room, reading through some more files with her datapad.

The room she was given was, like most Senators', befitted with the themes of her homeworld. The walls and floor were layered with a light blue coat of shining Atlesian marble, gleaming throughout with bright glamour, supported by cuboid pillars and frames that were etched with Solitian winter patterns. Her bed, queen-sized and built with a frame of ice-blue geomaxim crystals beneath the soft white mattress, laid above a stage-like podium, shrouded by a beautiful set of navy blue curtains that draped down to the floor. The windows and door that led to the balcony were patterned with checker bars of steel, matching the elegant structuring of her own room back home. Right above, at the ceiling, a golden chandelier hung with cylindrical energy bulbs on each arm.

Her desk, where she sat precariously at, was wooden, made of sleek Solitian cypress tree bark that gave the table its beautiful and durable form. Along with the holographic projector built within, a lone glacial night tulip grew on another glamourous pot, alongside a stack of holo-books of her notes and studies of all kinds, mostly about political and economic topics.

She had been offered to have her room fitted with air conditioners to mimic the atmosphere of her home, but Weiss refused, having to reduce her spending for the more needed essentials; rentals, supplies and what have you… Besides, the warmer feel of the Coruscanti sun wasn't so bad, having used to travelling to similar worlds before.

Weiss scanned through the notes in her datapad, checking through the plans for her future tasks like a librarian reading through all the available editions of novels and encyclopaedias into the right shelves. She tapped her finger onto her cheek, pondering over organizing between different fields of work, prioritizing the various issues and plans Atlas had for her to discuss with other Senators and her own government.

Just then, the holo-call panel beeped. Weiss put down her datapad and received the call, activating the holoprojector to phase the image of one of Atlas' official secretaries.

"Yes, Halren?" Weiss called, bringing her hands together while her chin sat gently onto her fingers.

"I received the documents from your droid." reported the secretary. "I shall relay the word to General Ironwood to present his project to the Chancellor, effective tomorrow. The Atlesian Knight prototypes shall begin rapid deployment in about a week, and the Paladin project will be shown to the Military Office as soon as possible."

Weiss smiled with hopeful pride. With the full production of Atlas' new weapons, things were coming together nicely for the build-up of Remnant's military might. Soon, new machines would take the fight and new technology would fuel the clone armies enough to gain an edge over the traitorous Separatists. If only the Republic didn't waste all that military power in the last thousand years…

"Good work, Halren." said Weiss. "I will contact you shortly." The secretary bowed in acknowledgement before the image faded off, ending the call.

With a few final touches to her schedule, Weiss laid down her datapad, sighing out a breath of relaxed calmness. She was finally free to rest and take it easy while everything was being processed for the next meeting.

So what was Weiss Schnee to do when she was finally free?

She eyed the trophy case stuck to the wall next to her. The glass box which held her prized weapon, Myrtenaster. The silver rapier she had used for a decade was attached to a clamp, strong enough to prevent quiet robberies. Only with the genetic scan of Weiss Schnee could it be unlocked. Weiss opened the case and waved her hand towards the little node below the rapier. When the node flashed green, the clamps around the hilt of the weapon released, freeing Myrtenaster for her to grab.

Feeling the smooth, inward-curved hilt in her palm, Weiss waved the rapier in front of her, graciously bringing the blade to her face in her steady stance. A pull on the trigger beneath the hilt and the chambers rotated, triggering the freeze mode onto the weapon.

The blade began to shine from the back, all the way to the tip with a crystal clean coat of reactive metal that made it much colder. It released a cloud of mist with each swing, just a taste of the raw power of this elegant yet deadly weapon.

Weiss then turned around and pointed the weapon towards the wall, legs crossed together. She then brought it around with a twirl of her boy with a sweep of Myrtenaster to the other side, legs released and the other arm bent upwards with the hand to the side of her head. Afterwards, she followed up with a swing upwards of the blade before another mighty spin to finish up the combo. Finally, she came back up to her idle stance before continuing on with another round of a different attack pattern.

Standing still, she flicked Myrtenaster downwards to the ground, body facing to the side as she faced the potted plant. She then pointed her blade at the plant and slashed in between the leaves three times before lunging her pointed tip onto the stalk, piercing through the plant like the heart of her opponent. She then brought herself back before moving forward with more tries with her fencing.

Like a ballerina, she danced across the room with the blade swinging and lunging back and forth, practicing her battling style. Through this exercise, she could release herself of the stresses that came her way, letting her body soar and glide throughout the floor with grace. She ensured that each swing and movement of her body did not damage a single object in the room, allowing her to improve on her precision on the imaginary target before her.

In the midst of her exercise, Weiss then went for something new. A few days ago, after her recent assault on the White Fang's base in Atlas, she decided to try a little more aggressive style of fighting to match any enemy that dared to attack her again.

She walked to the other end of the room to give herself more space to try out her new moves. Weiss went into her original stance, closing her eyes and breathed in. With her fingers lining down the surface of the blade, she then opened up her eyes and lunged forward, striking as hard as she could. Then, she coupled up with two slashes out front with much more speed than her usual style. With each thrust and swing of Myrtenaster, her fury grew, feeling the adrenaline of fighting her non-existent opponent mercilessly without stop. Every second she spent on attacking only added a fire in her heart, burning with anguish.

As time passed, after more attacks, she began to develop a vision of her target taking shape in her mind. Her eyes squinted after seeing the figure appear right in front of her. Slowly, the memories of her last brush with death built the image of the one person who dared to try and end her life.

The warrior stood there, blade out and ready to strike Weiss down, just as he had so long ago. She recognized the unmistakable image of the Mandalorian scum, with his armour and helmet, the latter of which sported that T-shaped visor that determined his identity. The blade he wielded was flat with a shining spot of light reflecting off of the black surface.

Upon seeing her assassin, Weiss' anger grew, her taste for justice fuelling her up with the will to inflict horrible pain upon her attacker. With the vividness inside her, she had no hesitation to strike her target, lunging forward. On instinct, the assassin backed away from the strike, sidestepping back before he would get stabbed. Weiss didn't let her opponent escape as she sped forward to continue assaulting her foe.

The vile nature of the armoured warrior aggravated Weiss, forcing her to not let him leave her sights. The mistake of slipping up wouldn't happen again; her drive to defeat her foe made her riled up with anger. If the assassin thought he would have another shot at ending her, he was about to find out how wrong he was.

However, instead of attacking back, the assassin simply dodged Weiss' attacks. The Senator kept striking at him, but not once did he try to fight back, as if to tire her out. Weiss didn't bother to care; she was too bent on bringing down the scum with every single strike of her weapon, to deal the same pain he did to her. Her teeth gritted with anger, her strikes getting more and more violent with every swing or lunge.

The assassin jumped up on the bed while Weiss looked up and saw the fiend land onto her soft blue bed. He then pointed his blade at her, threatening her to take action. Agitated, Weiss grabbed onto her weapon with greater force. She then prepared to jump up and attack her opponent, building up her energy by breathing in a good amount of air.

Finally, with all her might, she leapt over and thrust her weapon towards the assassin on her bed. The blade was quickly stabbed into the bed, shredding through the soft fabric as she landed right next to it. When she finished her strike, Weiss took a good look at the damage she caused.

After a few breaths, she finally found herself inflicting the unnecessary damage she committed. Right where the blade was poked into, the side of the bed was completely ripped with a gaping line of cotton wool puffing out of the opening. When she looked on top of the bed, there was no sign of her attacker, like he vanished without a trace. She looked around the room, trying to find out where he had run off to. After a brief search, she couldn't find a single trail that indicated the crook's escape, nor were there any sounds or noises that would give off any attempt to flee. It left her confused and slightly unhinged over her own safety, still trapped in that state of caution, just in case the attacker came back.

After finding nothing from the fiend, she immediately found herself regretting her actions. It would seem that her attempt to practice a more aggressive style of fighting had reduced her to a barbaric warrior than an elegant duellist. Her fencing and the usage of Myrtenaster was always meant for the purpose of defence, rather than offence. If she stoked way more power into her strikes, then she would be tampering with her own grace, turned into a vicious killer in the making. She had allowed her sense of justice to control her emotions into a frenzied brute.

Realizing what she had done, she sat herself down on her bed, despite its torn condition. Myrtenaster was dropped onto the ground in an audible clang as she slumped with shame. She panted with exhaustion, sweat beading down on her face. Her practicing had been heavier than she thought before, but more so, her emotions got the better of her posture as well.

Weiss remembered the lessons she gained back home in Atlas. It was there that she studied and learned to maintain the perfect figure. For one to be perfect, she must learn to take advantage of every opportunity she had. At the same time, however, one must still understand the limits to their agendas, never to overreach their control over the needs and wants of her own image. In Weiss' case, now that she was Senator of Solitas, she had to keep her graceful image intact, and while she had the right to defend herself, she still needed to control herself and not become a barbarian in the eyes of those around her.

The already shaky reputation of the Schnee family in the Senate and, thus, the glory of Atlas relied on Weiss to fix. She was the heiress of the Schnee Mining Corporation; she was chosen to fulfil the greatest moments in Solitas history as one of them.

This was her stage now, and she had to be strong and civil in the face of danger…

* * *

 _The next day…_

It was only a few more moments before the next meeting in the Senate; something about concerns within the Mid Rim. And yet, at the very outdoors parking area, where Senators would arrive in droves before coming into the building, the representatives were not the only people with busy ambitions and intrepid plans.

Far off in the civilian parking area, where freighters were loading off supplies, two strangers were stalking about, waiting within the crates to sneak into the Senate premises. They eyed the security guards patrolling the area, studying their movements before they would move out. A lone blue security droid walked into the loading bay, almost passing the two men.

"Steady…" The Zabrak bent down further, doing his best to hide his large, bumbling mess of a friend from any sights. Having such a cetacean as a partner wasn't the best idea he had. His large body was the bane of any hunt he took part in, having to poke out at every attempt they had when sneaking about. What the Herglic lacked in incognito status, however, he did make up for in sheer brute force. If anything was to happen to the two of them, Bred's big body would make short work of any trouble they faced while Krendo would finish off the downed victims of his partner's strength.

When the coast was clear, the two finally popped out of their spot, sneaking towards the Senate building. They manoeuvred through more of the security personnel in the area until they reached the very parking range where the Senators would arrive via hoverbus.

From there, they found themselves behind a barrier, looking at a specific spot in the area. Hiding behind it, they ducked down and, again, awaited the arrival of a certain figure to approach. Quietly, they took out a blaster each from their pockets, just in case anything was about to happen that against their will and planning.

Krendo peeked above, searching for any signs of trouble. At any moment, their pprize was just around the corner, if their third accomplice was to be believed. While the two of them were down there, they had their human friend perched up at a nearby skyscraper to survey the area while keeping the men in touch. So far, they had only seconds until their target was in range.

"Kwazzi better be right about this." grumbled Krendo. "We've spent too many long months to let this moment be for naught."

Just when he was busy complaining, they were soon greeted by the sight of a lone hoverbus, marked with white paint and a blue zigzag line stretched from front to back of the walls. Krendo's smile cracked wider. At last, his quarry had arrived just in time for them to spring their trap. When the transport touched down, the two took a peek from behind their protection, viewing the descent of the boarding ramp. Soon, when the passengers all came out, one by one, they carefully searched for the one person they hoped to find.

People began exiting the transport in a single file, some being helped down with their baggage in tow by others. Some patrons down on the floor came over to greet the other passengers. One of them was a tall, blonde woman, dressed in a formal uniform. She adjusted her glasses as she approached one of the passengers. When they saw who that woman was accompanying, at last, a sense of purpose was invigorated within them.

There they saw, the target of their mission. Coming down the steps, with his cane beneath his palm, Senator Ozpin emerged, expecting to find himself to be present within this next hall meeting. The man walked down, smiling at Glynda as he descended down to greet her.

The feeling of accomplishment and the anticipation for a higher purpose were seeping into the two men. Finally, there he was. Senator Ozpin was right there for the taking. The sight of him gave the two a good a reason to be angry for what the man meant to them. Their hands gripped harder while they looked on, waiting for the right time to strike.

Because of men like Ozpin, their families were being left homeless without any hope of proper earnings. Their children were left hungry in the streets while their wives clung to desperate aid for the supplement of their lives. All because of one act that put them in this state in the first place; an act made by Ozpin himself.

They were ready to make him pay for what he had done to them prior. They were ready to make things right again, for the future of their families.

"That Senator will finally eat his words." growled Krendo, while Bred chuckled cruelly at the thought of dealing with the elderly man before them. The Zabrak then turned his head around to see that his partner was ready to subdue the Senator to their will. "You ready?"

"Right behind you, Krendo." At once, the two began to move forward without any secrecy. They knew that the moment they nabbed the Senator, they would be pursued upon, with multiple security forces right there to attack them once the action began.

From out of their cover, they rose to follow the Senator. Bred was ready to snatch him up and run with Krendo covering his back. Unknown to them, as they approached Senator Ozpin, they failed to see someone coming up to them. Unable to see the person, Bred accidentally bumped into the woman. With his big body, he caused the person to nearly fall off her feet, barely only catching herself from suffering a massive fall.

The young girl stumbled forward when she hit the Herglic. When she recovered, she felt the aching pain on her shoulder, straightening her long, white hair after the rough bump. With a glaring face, she told off the buffoon who dared to get in her way.

"Ergh! Watch where you're going, you riffraff!" yelled Weiss Schnee, shrewdly. But instead of Bred, it was Krendo who turned around and directed his own anger at the heiress.

"Excuse me!" he shouted, frightening Weiss a little. Just when he was about to retort again, the large Herglic pulled him away, patting his back as he assured Krendo of the real prize.

"Not now, Krendo." he hushed. 'We have bigger fish to fry." Still insulted, Krendo obliged. If anything, he hoped his rant hadn't attracted the attention of the Senator before any action was taken. He looked around, finding that no one had done as much as stare at the brief exchange between himself and the whiny girl. Relieved, he decided to let it go, continuing with the mission.

"Little brat."

Meanwhile, Weiss kept staring at the two in utter disbelief. She couldn't believe that those filthy runts dared to aggravate her the way they did. Disgruntled, she would have called the authorities to apprehend such uncouth rubbish off the Senate premises, not even looking decent enough to be fit within these grounds.

But she chose not to. After she nearly destroyed her bed the night before, she dared not to push herself further to the likes of lower folk like them. There were other matters to deal with anyway, so the less she cared, the better. The Senate was convening for another session and she needed to see what other opportunities she could score this time. Thus, she turned off for the entrance into the building, leaving the two strangers to seize their moment.

Fortunately for the two schemers, they were in the clear. Their target did not seem to notice the altercation between themselves and that bratty girl. The Senator and his aide were already walking for the building when the two snuck towards him. They had their hands out to prepare and snatch the Senator before anyone could react to the act.

The distance was closed; a few more steps and they would have the cursed man in their grasps. Once taken, they would use him to get what they wanted, for the sake of their livelihoods. Just a few seconds more and Ozpin was theirs for the taking.

Their arms thrust out and their hands ready to throttle at him…

 **WHACK!**

All at once, just when they were about to catch their prize, a powerful strike at their heads threw them off their approach. They fell on their backs, down on the floor with a loud thud that alerted Ozpin and Glynda.

The Valesian officials turned around, shocked by the sudden occurrence of a fallen pair of strangers. What was even more uncalled for was what made the two tumble down in the first place. Fully crouched on the ground, a slim figure was bent down after emerging from out of nowhere like a shadow. The girl stood up, arming herself with her weapon; a single blade that was shaped like a machete with a long black ribbon dangling down. The newcomer stood with her back facing Ozpin and Glynda, who were still stunned at what had happened in the blink of an eye. The girl with long, curly black hair turned her face back just enough so that only her right cheek was facing the people she defended.

"Senator Ozpin. Are you alright?" Blake Belladonna asked. Glynda took Ozpin by the arm, stepping back with careful consideration over the arrival of this shadowy figure. Other than that, they eyed the other two unknowns amongst the situation. Ozpin assessed the sudden chaos that happened right behind him, wondering what was going on. Why was there a concern for his well-being, as addressed by the mysterious girl in front of him? If she was looking out for him, then the two random men on the ground must had been trying to attack them.

As the scene unfolded, the situation had indeed attracted the attention of the crowds throughout the area. Curious or frightened pedestrians were starting to gather around to witness it all. More alarming still, a few of the patrol droids were now triggered to respond to the crisis at hand.

While the action continued to build an audience, the two men were starting to rise up, witnessing the element of surprise slip from their hands. When they saw who had spoilt the plan for them, Krendo growled with vigour, frustrated that he was forced to drop their cover to do a hasty run.

"Who are you?" demanded Glynda to Blake. "What is going on here?!"

"It doesn't matter." answered Blake, turning around fully to address the danger to them. "You need to –"

 **BAMM!**

Suddenly, Blake had been silenced by a loud bang beneath her feet. Between her and the officials, a cloud of smoke rose upwards and expanded into a blinding wall that forced Blake back from Ozpin and Glynda. The thick smoke blurred her sights, roughing up her eyes while she started to cough up as it entered her nose. Hindered, she couldn't see what was going on. However, her cat ears began to wobble, her nerves triggered by a sense of warning throughout her body.

When she turned around, she saw a fist, flying towards her. For a split second, she quickly ducked down and rolled to safety, away from the attack. When she recovered, she laid her eyes on the duo of troublemakers who charged at her. Unfortunately, she was too late to save Ozpin and Glynda as they charged and nabbed them both. Within their reach, the attackers held both of their hostages within each of their arms, held tightly by the neck as Ozpin and Glynda tried to hold onto the arms holding them. Screw the low profile, Krendo thought. If they were going to be caught, they might as well do it the hard way. To maximize their threat, Krendo and bred pulled out their blasters, now causing the patrons to gasp in a panic.

Blake held her ground, unable to move without provoking the hooligans into ending the lives of their hostages. She knew the heavy burden she was faced when being stuck in her position. The two people she tried to save were two of Vale's most important people; their losses would spell the tragic end of the planet's integrity in the political stage. Any wrong move would move the Remnant System closer to chaos.

"Back off, you nosy rat!" shouted Krendo, threatening Blake by pointing the barrel of his gun at Ozpin's head. "He's ours now!"

Blake only squinted her eyes with disgruntled frustration. With no other choice, she laid down her weapon on the ground, raising her hands up in defeat. Satisfied with her withdrawal, Krendo glanced towards his partner, who held the blonde-haired secretary in his oversized grasp.

"Lose the lady! Ozpin's who we want." he called. At once, Bred tossed Glynda to Blake, the Faunus barely catching her from being tripped up by the force of the toss. With one hostage secured, that left only one other person to worry about. Conversely, there were no more transfers to be made this time.

Happy with their prize, they quickly dragged Ozpin with then, still pointing their blasters at the crowd as they made their escape to a nearby speeder. Police droids honed in on the escapees, only to be forced back from firing their stunners for the risk of hurting the Senator being held hostage.

The two hooligans hopped aboard a parked speeder, shoving Ozpin into the front seat, next to the driver's. while they both simultaneously followed along. Bred, being the heavyweight, fit into the back, keeping an eye on the crowd while Krendo took to the speeder's controls. Hijacking the taxi, the latter managed to jumpstart the vehicle by rewiring the wires within the circuitry. Once unlocked, the taxi hovered above and turned around. With one push of the stick and thrust to the petal, the criminals zoomed away, taking with them their prize into the busy city below.

"They're getting away with the Senator!" Glynda yelled, following the panicked cries of the other pedestrians. The security droids soon refocused their programming to controlling the crowd while they herded everyone to safer grounds.

Meanwhile, as Glynda could only watch helplessly at her vanished colleague, Blake came up to the secretary, saying nothing more than a request to call the authorities. She could sense the distraught of the older woman, recognizing the sense of separation in terms of her duties for the Senator. Indeed, the loss of Ozpin would be a stake in the heart of Vale. If those two were allowed to take him to who knew where, there would be dire consequences.

Naturally, it was up to someone like Blake to take care of the situation. This was where she vowed to start her movement to making things better for people, and helping a Senator could be a brilliant start to her quest.

"Go get help." she told Glynda. The woman was about to ask her who she was, not convinced that she was someone worth trusting Ozpin's life with. She had questions as to how Blake knew about the attempt at kidnapping him, wondering how could she have reacted to the incident before anyone else was aware of it.

But looking at those eyes staring at her, Glynda knew that there was a pang of truth in her. If she was here to defend Ozpin, then perhaps she could try and trust this stranger, just this once…

Pinching her temples, she groaned. Of all the times to desperately trust an unknown, it had to be now… Giving Blake a nod, she ran off to get the help needed to locate and rescue Ozpin, leaving it to the mysterious girl to start her path to saving him.

With the scene being cleared, Blake went to work, finding her own way to wherever they would end up in. For a city so massive in scale, with thousands of levels to look in, one would think she would take forever to find Senator Ozpin in the millions of buildings throughout Coruscant.

Fortunately, Blake had an asset. They key that, instead of limiting her search, completely locked down the exact place where the criminals were about to hide their hostage. She reached for her belt and pulled out her beacon tracker, loaded with the coordinates she had taken from a direct source by the two hooligans themselves. Confident of her tracks, Blake made her move to find a transport to reach her destination.

Unbeknownst to her, someone within the crowd had come out to investigate the scene for herself.

That person was able to get a good view of the Faunus just as the patrons were being led back by the patrol droids. After hearing some panicked noises from fleeing folks, she quickly asked what was going on, with people then telling her that Senator Ozpin had been kidnapped. Rushed for action, the girl made her way outside to find the crime scene now being cleared.

However, the only one present in the area was the lone stranger who stood idly by, just enough for Weiss Schnee to find out what was happening. She had Blake within her sights, taking in the figure of this unknown hoodlum who happened to be at the scene of the crime. It was then that she began to scan her, watching the Faunus with her own two eyes from a distance.

After looking at Blake for a few good seconds, she spotted a rather incriminating feature. The girl Weiss spotted reached for the ground, picking up a very familiar item.

The flat-shaped blade that was removed from the ground and casually slid into the holster of this suspicious person. Weiss' eyes widened with recognition. The colour of the blade gave her the clues, the way its long edge shone with a silver glint across.

"That blade…" It didn't take her long to finally realize that the sword had something to do with her. Indeed, that weapon was something she had not only seen, but felt…

Her hand instinctively brushed the scar of her eye, remembering the excruciating cut she suffered at the hands of the very blade before her. She had spent a good amount of time that night exchanging blows with that weapon. The swings and lunges she made with Myrtenaster were also premonitions of the encounter that nearly costed Weiss her life.

When she properly surveyed the body shape of the girl before her, the final touches of her suspicions came to light. After years of perfecting her own body posture, Weiss had a habitual knack for remembering certain people just by watching the way they stand. When it came to the girl before her, it was a sight to dread. Just by looking at how Blake stood, Weiss felt like she had connected the dots to a criminal investigation.

Her heart fell deeply ill after recognizing Blake, before rising up in vile anger. That girl, Weiss thought, was definitely someone she knew. Someone she wanted to exact her justice upon.

That was her. That was the assassin that nearly killed her on that very night!

* * *

Unknown Location,

Level 1253,

Coruscant,

Coruscant System,

Core Worlds,

An hour had passed. Throughout that rather troubling period of time, Senator Ozpin found himself being abducted and kept under the watchful eyes of two uncouth crooks.

It led him to this abandoned building, somewhere deep within Coruscant's lower levels, sat at a chair while having his limbs all tied up without any chance of escaping. The room he was in, dusty and dilapidated in all corners, looked dim and dark, only illuminated by the colourful lights outside. Even then, the windows were covered by barred, gill-shaped grills that kept himself and the room completely sealed from the public eye.

Ozpin wasn't really in any pain. he hadn't been roughed up or subdued immensely by his captors, who shared the room with him. A few shoves, no less. Still, he wasn't terribly hurt by their abduction. If anything, the worst he felt in this situation was sheer disappointment. Disappointment not because he was kidnapped by these men, but rather the fact that he was about to miss a very important issue from the Senator of Taris at this hour. How the Senate itself would react to this kidnapping; he couldn't say. It was a public display, after all, so there was no point covering up this incident.

All that mattered was that he alone was being held prisoner, at the mercy of two thugs whom Ozpin had no idea of their motives for capturing him.

Supposedly, one would be in fear of being held at gunpoint by the lowest of the low, with the possibility of a cold death being very high. Perhaps one would be shaking tremendously over the claustrophobia that would come from such a narrow space of accommodation, coupled by the fear of death at the hands of the criminals.

Yet, being strapped like the way he was, Ozpin could only sigh. Otherwise, he would just remain silent, not faltering under the threats posed by the criminals. He had no reason to be afraid. If the criminals went through all this trouble to not inflict a single wound on him, then it was plausible that he was not to be harmed at all, the value of his capture assumed to be beyond any typical kidnappings'. Pushing his luck may still result in serious punishment, but while remaining at peace, he wouldn't be harmed.

Still, it would be nice if the two men allowed him to keep his treasured cane. That priceless heirloom had become such a comfort to wield throughout his elderly life.

This wasn't the first time he was put in tight corners like this, and it wouldn't be the last…

Meanwhile, the assailants were already getting to work on whatever plot they were cooking up. The Zabrak, laden with a sly grin on his face, was talking to a contact via his communicator, walking about in an excited pace. His partner stood on guard beside the hostage, watching Krendo move around with fidgeting glee.

"Yeah. We got the Senator." whispered Krendo to the third assailant elsewhere. "Now, secure the front entrance. Make sure the authorities don't get in." After tasking the accomplice with guard duty, he shut off his communicator, putting it down on the desk before tending to his 'guest'. As he stared into Ozpin's face, he produced a repugnant, foul stench of alcohol and sweat that the Senator could easily pick up. Other than the wretched smell, however, the older human only felt something viler. Before his eyes was the face of a man wasting away his life for something more malicious than he was being let on. There was a hint of anger; something about Ozpin himself that made this Zabrak resent him to some degree. This was mixed with a desire to commit harm and achieve ambition with this scheme.

He compared this disturbing expression to the otherwise less reactive but still malicious Herglic next to him. While Bred shared his intentions with Krendo, he seemed a lot calmer than the Zabrak. There wasn't much of the spite that his partner had, much less any desire to harm Ozpin. With that mind, there was something the Senator could use to his advantage.

Whatever they intend on doing with him, Ozpin had to find out sooner.

"May I be gracious to ask why are you attempting to kidnap me?" asked Ozpin, not faltering under the pressure.

"Remember that conference in Atriya? Seven years ago?" Krendo responded with a smug smile. "When you and your fellow Senators began snooping around our business for so long before shutting us down?"

"Ah. So the two of you were among the poachers in the thranta hunting games." mused Ozpin, in a fashion of enlightenment, rather than fear. Then, when he explained his justifications, the Senator continued to remain calm and collected, without giving in. "We were asked to take action to prevent illegal poachers such as yourselves from threatening an endangered species."

Suddenly, in an act of spite, Krendo swung his hand up and slapped Ozpin square in the cheek. The impact made Ozpin turn his head to the side, knocking off his glasses in the process. As he turned back, he was plastered with a red mark on his face. The force was strong, but it did little to nothing to break the Senator down.

"I had to feed my family!" argued Krendo.

"By killing off an exotic species? Protected by Republic law?" retorted Ozpin. "Let us forget the ethics for a moment then. Your actions were still deemed forbidden. Should you continue to act against the law, then perhaps the consequences would have not been pleasant." The Zabrak's teeth gritted together before exerting a scoff and turning around to use his datapad for the upcoming phase of their plan. Ozpin still exercised a steady stand against the man with poise an entire Senate can admire him for. He was known to be relentless in the face of corruption, which was what made him the prime candidate for Senator of Vale. "Though, considering now, with the lengths you two will go to seeing your horrid activities resumed, I would imagine a much higher price to pay."

"We don't care about the Republic or their petty laws." defended Bred.

"All that matters is that we take care of our families with the wealth to gain from such exquisite trophies." added Krendo. His views on what such incredible creatures meant to him only added disappointment to Ozpin's tastes, exposing him as a cruel monster.

"So, you choose to murder the innocent lives of harmless creatures as your **only** means of financial aid?"

"Guilty as charged, Senator." sneered Krendo. He was sick of settling on skinning kod'yoks from Vandor or hunting ursa bears for the Hutts. Money was never the issue; they could always score that from the lesser jobs. He wanted the real adventure; the taste of breaking regulations and securing one of the most valuable hides in the galaxy. Nowhere else could you find such prestigious creatures anywhere else other than Alderaan and the very world where Krendo and Bred could thrive for. Atriya was the world where protection laws were weaker than the former. It was the easiest and most profitable way to hunt, until Ozpin stepped in and ruined everything.

And now, the man they despised for it was tied up in their clutches.

"Bred. Make sure our guest's comfy." tasked Krendo. "I'm going to make the preparations for the Senate to heed our demands."

"Right, boss." Bred tapped his blaster onto his palm, keeping his eyes on the prisoner.

"We could have reached a compromise. We could have given you a better leash in life." assured Ozpin. Even if these poachers did a lot of horrible things to the creatures of Atriya, there was room for redemption. Ozpin was the type of person to find the best in people's morals, willing to forgive those who would give themselves the chance to find peace and cease committing their sins. All of that was wasted when these two chose to sink deeper to greater evil.

"But we had a good time hunting." Krendo snarled with glee. "You can have good money from doing them civil jobs. But the thrill of the hunt makes it all the worthier. That answers your little questions?"

Before he responded, Ozpin turned to look at the Herglic. At that moment, he could pick out a slight fidgeting on his blubbery skin. His lips squirmed once, the fringes of his eyes contorting with discomfort. A change of his usually long breathing pattern gave the Senator a clue as to how Bred was feeling about the motivations of his partner.

Perhaps he could use it to his advantage…

"Not quite." he finally answered. If there was a chance to further testify against them, he would need as much information from them as he could. That was when he would put his skills to work. "So, what will you do to me?"

"Simple. We hold you for ransom and force the Atriyans to lift the ban on our hunting grounds." explained Bred.

Ozpin knew the authorities would be launching an all-out search for him, demanding the criminals to free him, or suffer the consequences. But he knew that was not going to go down easily. There was nothing he could do but remain composed, hoping for the right people to finish the job at the best of their capabilities.

"Then that is all I need to hear." he ended with a smile. "Thank you."

* * *

Once again, Blake found herself using an owned speeder bike to pursue her targets, still too used to the idea of stealing assets to fulfill her mission. Within the lower traffic zone, she swerved from side to side, avoiding the passing vehicles on her way to the location where Senator Ozpin was being held in. There was no time to worry about the traffic police or any ramifications for defying the direction of the air lanes; these situations she was in were too important for answering to mere violations of the law.

She had been following the criminals responsible for his abduction for a few days now, silently blending in the shadows while they moved from planet to planet.

She received word of a scheme being openly revealed via the galactic bounty tally system of a scheme to abduct an important politician. According to the profile, the two scumbags opening up the application were requesting a third man for the job. It was one opportunity for Blake to gain some good out of her quest to help people in the galaxy, honing on her limits and capabilities in what she could do to stop violence from spreading.

At first, she planned to join in on the job, allowing her to get up close and personal with the target, so she could spring the trap. However, she then thought about how close she had to be with the accomplices before, increasing the odds of her being exposed of her true identity as a Faunus. She'd rather stay incognito as long as possible before she would act. So, Blake chose to let someone take the job and tail that person instead.

Eventually, she found the person who was willing to accept it. From there, she followed the assailant's transport in her new stealth ship until. by the time the contact met her clients, she followed them even closer from world to world, all the way to Coruscant, where their scheme would take place. During that time, Blake had her own plans to save the Senator from the abduction.

The only problem Blake had was that the hired gun she followed from Mos Kratos was a skilled hunter; any attempt to act earlier could risk her being exposed and hunted down much sooner than expected. If she chose to take the assassin, she would let the other two escape with the Senator, regardless of the lack of cover fire. The only way was to face them and hope the hunter wasn't a good shot.

Apparently, the hunter did not have any means to pin her down. No sniper rifle to strike her from a distance. It seemed she was the one who launched the smoke bomb that hindered Blake's vision while the two others recovered from their fall. If that was the case, Blake could have seen the assailant somewhere.

She had no time to wonder; what had happened had happened. There was only further action to take to free the Senator and bring those goons to justice. The ride to the lower streets of Coruscant lasted for the next ten minutes, taking her into the residential area close to a docking port. She cruised through the catwalks, passing through the colourful advertisement signs that lit up the darker streets. Her tracker kept her on point with the target's location, looking for a place to land and depart her bike.

When she touched down, Blake left the speeder at the alleyway and took to the right corner, right along a block of abandoned house lots; the perfect place to hide from the police. She kept her eyes open for any sign of the third accomplice, watching all floors from above and below, checking her back towards the shadows. With the coast clear, she slid next to the walls and headed to the coordinates of the right house.

She was about halfway through towards the location without any interference…

"HALT!"

Her feet dragged to a stop, alarmed by a loud cry for her to cease her movement. Looking up, she could see a lone speeder, hovering over her. The vehicle lowered down slowly, revealing the occupants looking down on her. To her surprise, one of them was easily recognizable to the Faunus. True to her shock, there were at least five men, dressed in military-themed uniforms with a distinct style that she remembered all too well.

They were Atlesian guards…

Standing amongst the other guards, however, was a much more alarming sight. It was a girl, dressed in what looked like an elegant white dress, putting her out of place within the presence of the guards. But Blake knew who this girl was, and she was anything but out of place.

Her memories jogged inside of her, filling her with worry when she laid her eyes on the white-haired woman. She could sense the anger flowing through the human with ice blue eyes ironically burning a powerful glare towards her. Blake understood what that girl was feeling, and she knew she herself was responsible for such disconcerting displeasure.

"Miss Schnee…" she mused with concern. Once the speeder reached the same level of the walkway, Weiss Schnee jumped off, followed by five of her men. Her arms crossed into one another, legs closed together as her body shifted to the side while still glaring at the scum before her. The five guards formed a line behind her, aiming their carbines on Blake, but holding their fire until she gave the word.

Blake stood firm, despite the threatening position she was in. She had a feeling Weiss was there to witness what had happened to Senator Ozpin and, due to the tragic circumstances of their previous encounter, she would accuse her for being part of the kidnapping.

She knew just as much of the anger Weiss had been keeping towards her. There was one very striking sign on her face that gave it away. The thin, long mark slashed across her left eye. Blake remembered how she swung her weapon at the Senator, recalling how vulnerable she was when her eye was slashed and bloodied. With a scar that deep, there was no doubt that the Schnee was holding a dangerous grudge against her.

"You're the Mandalorian assassin who tried to kill me days ago." she snarled.

"I'm not a Mandalorian." assured Blake, still keeping her form in check.

"Oh? So what masters do you serve then?" Weiss shot back. If not the Mandalorian people, then who else but another closely affiliated organization? "Let me guess. The White Fang?"

"What does it matter? I am no longer with them." Blake retorted. There was no point hiding her former allegiance with the White Fang. It was clear that Weiss was already aware of her identity as the assassin who tried to kill her before.

"Then what do you make of the encounter we had that time?" shouted Weiss, with building tension in her voice.

"It happened before I left." cleared Blake. "I am simply no longer affiliated with them after what I have done."

"Liar!" Weiss yelled. "I'll make you and your kind pay for your crime!" At once, her fury prompted her into drawing out her weapon, pulling the slim Myrtenaster from her belt. Her arm swung forward and pointed the blade towards Blake. Stunned by the vicious anger, Blake retreated back, nearly stumbling from the sudden sheer force.

"I was wrong." urged Blake. "I was blinded by anger for how we are treated across the galaxy."

"Oh, so you were?" argued Weiss. "If that's what you feel, then you should have no trouble trying to kill Senator Ozpin, wouldn't you?"

"Please, Miss Schnee." Blake added, this time, almost pleading. The longer she had to spend arguing with the Senator, the less time she had to save Ozpin. "I am not here to harm you nor Senator Ozpin. Those thugs are holding Senator Ozpin hostage, and I have to deal with them."

"Some ploy to deceive me." scoffed Weiss. At this point, she had had enough of her foe's attempts to throw her off her hunt. Furthermore, there had to be no coincidence that this White Fang assassin was in the scene of the crime, let alone being aware of where the captured Senator was. "I mean; how did you know where to look? How could you have come across the information to locate them? Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you are colluding with the vermin?"

"Just listen to me!" Finally, Blake too had lost the patience to talk. "What could be so hard for that thick skull of yours to not hear what I have to say?!" The shouts seemed to have done the trick in making Weiss feel disgusted, seen as her face glared with shock and offence. Despite this, Blake turned around and ignored her, not bothered to continue this pointless debacle. "I've got to find Senator Ozpin." She kept moving away from the company behind her and headed straight to locating the criminals and their hostage.

She kept her frustration down to a minimum. Blake was tempted to turn around and say more to one of many people who couldn't be of any help to the plight of her kind. Somewhere deep inside her, she could even feel hatred towards the daughter of the Schnee family. It was that same anger that prompted her to do all she could to kill the Senator days ago. Blake remembered the sense of vengeance and the dire need for justice when she had her pinned to the floor with Gambol Shroud almost close to giving Weiss a bloody end.

In the end, she refused. Blake said just as much to Weiss; she was blinded by anger. She could not hold in the rage she felt when she fought a member of the Schnee family; the one organization that was synonymous with the suffering of the Faunus and other unfortunate souls. Within the safety and protection of her brethren in the White Fang, Blake felt liberated to do anything they asked her to do, using her fear and paranoia to commit acts unspeakable to her now.

But when she had to face the Ithorian mother and child that distracted her, she saw the true nature of her cause. She was even tempted to erase them for the sake of the mission. At that point, the truth came forth. Under the manipulative hold of Adam Taurus, Blake nearly fell down a dark path. She finally realized just how lost she was in trusting someone so deceivingly charming, only to find out the real monster that laid within.

The vivid memories of her encounter with Weiss only reminded her of the mistakes she made and would have made, should she have slaughtered that mother and child…

Thus, Blake chose to not bother with the heiress. There could be nothing else she could do to stop her without having to draw her blade needlessly against her. Besides, she was completely outnumbered, so any action taken was not going to end well. There were much more important things to take care of than dealing with a stubborn little girl.

Blake kept walking towards the lot where Ozpin was being held in, expecting Weiss to stand down and let her deal with the crisis.

Just then, she was suddenly feeling a rush of freezing cold, blasting into her feet and squeezing the muscles in her legs. All around the feet, she could see what looked like an icy mound crystalizing around them, trapping her like a bear trap to a poor nerf. Frozen in place, Blake could only twist her torso behind to catch the one responsible for the attack.

She caught Weiss, pointing her rapier to the ground where her feet were. A misty aura faded away from the blade, just in time for Blake to confirm that she was responsible for the freezing projection. The same angered look on the Schnee's face remained, the usual grace that was seen when she wasn't being polite to other Senators and officials, gone, as her legs were spread out instead of being courteously closed together as her usual style of combat.

"You'll move no more." she growled. Weiss could not accept the Faunus leaving her sights to pursue the opportunity from doing wrong with the already captured Senator Ozpin. She couldn't let the rat escape to commit more murders for the sake of her deluded brothers and sisters. Her body began to build up heat with her desire to arrest this foolish worm for disgracing her by ignoring her.

She was to show Blake that she was not going to take her lightly. She was not going to stand idly by like she was nothing to her. Weiss was to be a threat to her, and she was not afraid to let her and all her kind know it.

With Blake trapped, Weiss steadied herself back to her combat style, turning her head to the guards before telling them to find the Senator.

"Guards, find Senator Ozpin." After giving them their orders, she turned back to the Faunus trapped within her grasp, eyes seeping with rage. "She's mine." The guards, regardless of how Weiss appeared to them, followed through and ran past Blake, heading over to brush through each block within the premises. At this point, they didn't even request to get the location from the Faunus; any order from the Schnee was to be carried out without question, based on how serious the situation was.

Blake, on the other hand, was now forced to pull out Gambol Shroud and break herself free from the ice, cracking it up by bashing the blade into it multiple times. Once she was free, she quickly spun around and pulled out her defences.

She had nothing else to do. With Weiss' guards searching for Ozpin, any attempt to break through would result in retaliation from them. The only thing that stood in her way, now, was a rage-induced Weiss. The heiress, in turn, saw Blake's stance as proof that the Faunus had intentions to attack her, revealing the true assassin in all of her form.

"I have no time for this!" shouted Blake. "Senator Ozpin is in danger and we are wasting our time with this scuffle!"

"I have my guards to pursue those crooks." assured Weiss with a smug smirk, before it transformed into a frown again. "Besides, it would be much better to be sure that you won't harm anyone else."

Blake closed her eyes, slowly breathing calmly. Having no other choice but to defend herself, she had to accept the challenge and fight Weiss once more.

The standoff between the two soon deepened. Blake moved her right arm back, bringing Gambol Shroud with it into a backhand stance. Her fierce yellow eyes concentrated on Weiss' form. The Senator, conversely, shifted her body so her left arm straightened to point Myrtenaster towards Blake, keeping her body straight and her legs stuck together with her fencing pose.

Locking on, Weiss charged first, right before Blake countered forward as well. Within striking distance, the two swung their blades forward and clashed, commencing the duel. As they locked their eyes onto each other, they quickly separated, jumping apart before engaging in combat.

Making the first move, Weiss blitzed towards Blake, thrusting her rapier at the Faunus. Blake, in turn, swung upwards, blocking and pushing the thinner blade upwards. The heiress' weapon soon came down in an overhead swing, which Blake then defended herself from, by pushing her own Gambol Shroud with both hands, the left palm supporting the back of the blade. She brushed the rapier away and went for an attempt to use the back of her weapon to butt Weiss down. The move was quickly dodged as Weiss arched her body back to avoid the attack, spinning back once to standing position.

Blake stood her ground, waiting for Weiss to make the next move. Despite the ferocity of the fight, the former maintained her stance, not faltering under the pressure of the aggressive blows of the Senator's own weapon. If she was the one to strike first, then she would be the aggressor, giving her opponent the added pleasure of labelling her the instigator of the conflict. Plus. she didn't really have a choice, considering that Weiss' guards were still out there, blocking her from saving Ozpin.

Weiss, meanwhile, stood just as still, also anticipating for Blake to strike first. Given enough time, the terrorist wouldn't hold in her barbaric hatred for her and try to kill her with all her animosity. She did not want to fail this time, refusing to give into the deadly glare of the monster who dared to try and assassinate her, nor did she allow the White Fang scum to make her move to threaten Ozpin either.

But the tension got the best of her, forcing Weiss to run first and try to end the threat with a well-placed stab to the leg, hoping to immobilize her foe. Blake quickly caught up and blocked the blade by striking it downwards. She then bumped Weiss at the back of her head with her weapon, again knocking her out of balance. When she aimed to butt her down again, Weiss quickly blocked the move with a rapid spin back and crash her rapier into the machete. The heiress kicked Blake straight into the stomach, quickly pursuing her and slashing Myrtenaster in a flurry of swishes. The Faunus moved her weapon left and right, clashing her blade with Weiss' with rapid succession. Every lunge Weiss made was repulsed by the thicker weapon, which was also wide enough to defend her from the thin, otherwise deadly weapon.

They danced back and forth, Weiss' faster strikes against Blake's stronger sweeps. All the while, the Atlesian guards were already honing in on the location where Ozpin was being held in. The stress of the duel made Blake even more anxious. In fact, to her discomfort, she was noticing her aggression build up, resulting in more offensive attacks. She did her best not to switch her blade around to the sharp edge of the weapon, whilst risk injuring the Senator again.

After a heavy thrust of her body that shot her right into Weiss' rapier, she flipped backwards, landing just in front of the Senator. Puffing and huffing in exhaustion, she was getting more restless, almost growing her anger over the mere distraction. Weiss was in just as much of a scuffle with her body as Blake was. Sweat began beading down her skin; a sign that she was losing her perfect stance. She hoped to finish the fight in the first few minutes of fighting. Instead, she found herself in the same gruelling duel she went through the last time. Even if Blake didn't have a jetpack to use to her advantage, the fight seemed to have only evened than become one-sided.

Once they were at peace, Weiss soon brushed the scar on her face with her finger while staring at Blake, as if wanting her to know what she had done to make her this devoted in the fight. She made it clear that the fight between them was not just a mission to detain a criminal, but to show that same assassin to never mess with her ever again.

"You see this?" she snarled. "This is the scar you gave me on that night. I'll make sure to deal you one myself before I turn you over to my troops."

"Just get out of my way, Miss Schnee." urged Blake. She, too, had lost the patience of dealing with this arrogant brat who decided to hold on to her grudge and not see the bigger picture. "You're just in the way."

"You accuse me of ruining the mission?" gasped Weiss mockingly. Her fury then took over as she was forced to remind Blake of the many atrocities of the White Fang committed on her people. "What about you? And your little gang of terrorists? You don't think your kind aren't righteous?"

Blake retreated back a step, disgusted from the threat Weiss posed on her people. The typical tactic of the Schnee to downplay their enemies with such vile discrimination, thrown at her like a politician addressing her speech to the masses. And yet, Blake could sense something deeper to this cheap tactic than she let on. No, the way Weiss angrily provoked the Faunus in such a manner gave her a bigger picture of how the Schnee viewed the species.

It wasn't just some move to spread Weiss' political influence. It was more of a personal trait. The hatred she felt for the White Fang was genuine, infused within her blood like it was a genetic holdover to each passing generation of the Schnee family. It made Blake even more at odds herself, only to be suppressed by her need to discourage any retaliation.

"Going around blowing up my family's prized possessions and murdering my friends and family? Are you really willing to justify those as righteous?!" But Weiss was not done with her words. She had spent too long watching her family suffer under the brutality of the White Fang. For far too long, she had to witness the destruction of valued property, snatched away without any compensation. She stood helpless as countless loved ones who meant so much to her, who helped her on her way to becoming who she was now, all wiped out in cold blood. She was even threatened herself, forcing her to defend herself and suffer a scar in the process.

If anyone was to pay for such heinous crimes, Weiss believed it was the rat before her who had to be punished for her crimes. All pests who dared to commit their sins on the people of Solitas would pay dearly.

"That doesn't make you any righter, does it?!"

 **BWUIM!**

The fight was quickly interrupted when a random blaster bolt seared right in between them, forcing both to roll away from the sudden blast. At once, the guards, too, were alerted by the shot, quickly abandoning their search for Ozpin to see to their client's protection. Their royal staffs drawn out, they scurried to Weiss' aid.

Suddenly, by the time they came to her, another series of explosions rocked their feet, throwing them away from each other in a scattering mess. Blake and Weiss, ceasing their fight, looked above them, viewing the ledge up close to the roof. Sitting atop, they caught the culprit, holding up a sniper rifle in her arms. Blake identified the armed stranger by what species she was, recognizing the green skin with patches of blue pigments dabbed onto her hands and face. The assailant that she followed, the Frenk hunter whom she tailed throughout her trail, tapped her fingers onto the ledge below her feet, cracking a smirk as she looked down on the two targets below. With the platoon of guards scattered and stunned, she jumped down to greet her would-be obstacles.

The one they called Kwazzi made her threat known by taking out a sharp dagger from her belt, sneering right at the two enemies. Swaying the blade around her wrist, the blue-eyed hunter kept her trigger-happy stare on both combatants, seeing which one she would take out first. If anything, after witnessing the duel between them both, she would most rather take out the rest of the guards, who were still recovering. She would use Blake and Weiss' own fight as an advantage to subdue the Atlesian guards before she could deal with the other two.

Brushing her face with the back of her hand, Weiss wiped off the soot thrown at her face by the explosion, eyeing the second assailant involved in the crisis. The Frenk ran to finish off the guards and clear the grounds, causing the Senator to gasp as she witnessed her own people being threatened by a mere criminal.

As the Frenk threatened to hurt her men, she was faced with a haunting dilemma over what she would do next; continue to hunt down the Faunus terrorist, or save her men from the other hunter? Which was more important? The justice against Blake or her loyalty of the people of Solitas? If she pursued her target, then her guards would be done for, but if she went to save them, she would sacrifice the capture of Blake and be forced to gain nothing from her duel.

Weiss had just a split second to decide where her feelings laid; her justice or the people? What was more important to her as a Senator?

Finally, Weiss chose her path. Picking up Myrtenaster, she prepared to strike her enemy down, solidifying the course of duty, for the greater good.

Blake soon got up from the blast. Right then, she heard Weiss run towards her, blade up to her chest and ready to lunge. In immediate response, the Faunus grabbed her blade and bent down, keeping her blade up to defend herself from the incoming strike. When Weiss came into range, Blake prepared to fight again, filled with a mixture of alarm and disappointment; the latter of which came from Weiss' apparent lack of empathy towards her own guards. She couldn't help but wonder how much anger was mixing up inside of the Senator's heart of vengeance. Yet, she knew she had to hold her ground and let things run their course. Blake would do what she could to free herself from Weiss and find Senator Ozpin.

The rapier came surging forward, almost ready to stab Blake down as she wielded Gambol Shroud. Finally, the Faunus stiffened her body to block the incoming attack…

…only to suddenly lose sight of the heiress as she disappeared right past her. Unharmed, she didn't know what had happened. All she saw was the Schnee running past her, completely ignoring her, despite the initial hostility between each other. When she swivelled her head to look behind her, the Senator was still running, right towards the Frenk hunter.

Weiss kept her blade locked onto Kwazzi, palm pressed at the back of the hilt while the other hand held it close to her left cheek. With one lunge, she could end the threat quick enough, so she could return to the White Fang menace behind her. Her blade, already coated with the ice power,

Unfortunately, the attack did not do much as Kwazzi turned to face the charging Senator, swinging up her knife to throw her off. Clashing her rapier onto the smaller blade, Weiss twisted her body and shifted to the side, so she could stand in between the hunter and her guards. The heiress stood her ground, pointing her blade down to the ground in her usual stance. The hunter was clearly amused by the display of false courage, but didn't hesitate to accept the challenge.

From afar, Blake watched how Weiss stood to protect her guards, gobsmacked that she had chosen their safety over her vengeance against her. She would have never thought that a heart of anger and blind hatred could be cleared in an instant. All her life, Blake was always reminded of how revenge could plunge a soul to a pitch black path to darkness, with no instantaneous means of coming back to the light. Here, she was proven wrong when Weiss abandoned her quest for retribution to defend her guards from what Blake assumed was a lesser threat to her.

While she was certainly surprised, Blake realized that with Weiss' distraction from the fight with her, she was finally free to pursue Ozpin and save him from his abductors. Using this to her advantage, Blake got up and ran for the block where the Senator was being held in.

As she stared down the hunter, Weiss eyed Blake as the latter ran, causing the Senator to curse under her breath. It pained to see her enemy escape so easily, frustrated that she lost her chance to make that criminal pay for her crimes. Worse still, by choosing to fight the hunter, Weiss was ironically allowing Blake to secure her prize and nab Ozpin for herself, making things far more tragic in her pursuit for peace/

But even as the Faunus left her sights, Weiss turned back to the main threat at hand.

Yes, she had let a criminal run free and to do more harm, while she was down here, fending off a petty sharpshooter. It would most certainly be a painful, humiliating defeat that left her unsatisfied with the chance. Some part of her inside told her to abandon her guards to prevent the terrorist from taking Ozpin, sickened that she chose otherwise.

But when it came to being a citizen of Solitas, she was committed to a cause far greater than defeating her enemies; one that would distinguish her from her father. Reminding herself of the incident she had with her bed, Weiss remembered how much aggression she fired up when she fought the White Fang threat, almost blinding her to where her true loyalties laid as a Senator…

For the people of Solitas…

Her guards were part of her society, anything awful happening towards them would mean that she failed them as a whole. If the reputation of herself and her family was to be at its highest, she needed to avoid jeopardizing their safety, to make things better for them.

Even if, again, she had to put her own life on the line…

"So, you wish to suffer pain, too, eh?" Kwazzi cackled, rubbing the blunt back of her knife onto her scaly palm. Weiss huffed, letting go of her grudge on the Faunus girl to focus on the Frenk in front of her.

"You won't hurt **my** people." she declared. Her guards were still pinned after the blast Kwazzi made, lagging behind her as they stood back up. She, meanwhile, kept her focus onto the enemy, switching power from ice to blazing fire. A layer of flames covered Myrtenaster burned around the flame, heating up both the weapon and the battle.

If Weiss had to fight this fiend to protect her people, then she would give it her all. Hopefully, she would be done with the hunter, so she could take on Blake again before she would harm Senator Ozpin.

* * *

The sickly, angst-driven Zabrak peered through the blinds of the window, observing what had just occurred outside. From what he could see, there were two armed girls, standing off against each other, with blades clashing against one another. One of them, of whom he recognized, was the nosy brat who attempted to stall his first attempt at nabbing Ozpin without raising much alarm from everyone in the Senatorial grounds. The other girl present was, conversely, a surprise. Krendo knew that stench of perfume and glance of glorious, but spoiled beauty of the white-haired girl who he had the misfortune of bumping into back in the same area.

While the fight between them certainly interested him to stay and watch, the more alarming issue was right below him. Just from the very fringe of the window, Krendo could see a platoon of well-armed men, dressed in authorizing uniforms, searching the block for his location. Even if he was unaware who that rich-looking girl really was, the fact that these buff men accompanied her on the same speeder gave him the indication that she was someone of grand royalty who possessed great wealth and recognition to be guarded by such men.

Though he could salivate from the earnings from claiming another prisoner of such grandeur, the situation was already bearing down harder and faster on him and his Herglic partner than he initially let on. Pressured to hold off the inevitable raid into the room, Krendo reached for his blaster and began to walk out the room. Before he exited, he looked at his sidekick, who was stilling watching Senator Ozpin being tied up onto the chair.

"I'll hold them off." Krendo told. "You watch the Senator in case anyone tries to break in." Immediately, he left the room and went to attack the intruders, just before a loud explosion rocked from the outside, confirming to the two that their third accomplice was springing her trap.

While Krendo and Kwazzi were out to fight, Bred stayed behind, leaving the room in complete silence, except for the tough, coarse rumbling of Herglic rage metal playing from the nearby radio; the only source of comfort for the member of the species in which the music originated from.

In the meantime, Ozpin was still carefully watching his captors, judging how they behaved and what their patterns of habits were. Even while he was held hostage, the Senator wasn't entirely defenceless. Even with his hands tied, he had used his evaluation of the two abductors to work around a way to his advantage.

All the while, he had been formulating a way to counter the Herglic next to him, without having to jump up and take action (not that he could at the moment…). This was where Ozpin's greatest strength laid. Where simple negotiations have failed, more concentrated or detailed approaches are required. He had decades of experience to capitalize on his career as a politician. When it came to dealing with opponents or those with conflicting views, he knew to dig to the source; find what makes the individual tick and use it to soften his or her will. Only then will Ozpin know where to strike… with words alone.

If Bred could not see to reason, then he needed a little learning.

"Your friend seems determined." he began his move. "Going to lengths like this, even against armed men."

"Shut up and stay quiet." the Herglic groaned. Ozpin always had to deal with people who just couldn't find the time nor the effort to counter him. It was the typical response to not give any other. Silencing the individual before they can even speak was such an immature tactic; one that Ozpin, at this very moment, counted on.

"You say you have families." he continued, regardless of the threat. "What are they like?"

"What do you want to know?" countered Bred. "You're the one who made us live in poverty in the first place." Ozpin could fight back, arguing further about the plot he played against the cruel poaching of such beautiful creatures. Not this time; calm must be maintained if he wanted to get through to the criminal. A more civil approach was needed, to find sympathy and understanding of the plight of otherwise wrong men.

"Then, surely, you can be courteous enough to explain to me of your plight." Bred looked at Ozpin for the first time in a while. The light bulb went on in Ozpin's head. Finally, a response. The Herglic did seem interested to some extent. "Please. Do tell me. Why do you hate me?" This time, Bred came down to Ozpin's level, trying to act like he was the one in charge. An angry glare was met with the Senator's watchful eyes, demanding power within that stare.

"Didn't you hear me, pal? I said, be quiet." bumbled Bred. But still, Ozpin could sense that that level of authority was diminished by a certain hesitation in his movement, nervous wrinkling of his blubbery skin.

Ozpin knew that the Herglic was not entirely without heart in this kidnapping. When Krendo revealed his intentions and motives, Bred seemed to have the slightest hint of troubled discomfort in response.

"Don't you, at least, want to hear my side of the story?" Ozpin continued, met by the growling noise of the Herglic's threatening demeanour. "Don't you think there is a reason why I'm unable to give you a good reason to my actions? That I cannot have my say in the matter?"

Now, Bred remained quiet, unable to fight back. There, Ozpin figured out how his skin pulsed under the pressure of his words hammered down on the Herglic. The patterns of doubt that had been harboured before his current predicament. Knowing this, he knew there was a way into Bred's mind that could be tapped into.

"It would seem that your partner troubles you. I can see it in your face when he so deliberately smothered his filthy rants at my face. You're not like him, Mr. Bred. You most certainly don't have it in you to do the things he'd do to me."

"What's your point?" huffed Bred.

"I'm saying that you can be so much more than this." assured Ozpin sincerely. With all his heart, he truly believed that someone so hesitant to live up to his partner's word had room to turn around and find the new road to redemption.

Before he could continue, the Herglic took offense to the conversation and grabbed Ozpin by the neck, lifting him up from his chair and dangling him up in the air. Fortunately, the Senator was not muffled by the grip, despite the surprise move.

"We are trying to feed them all. If we ain't got the money to buy them their needs, then how the heck do you suppose we do?" roared Bred.

"Find other jobs **not** as dangerous and illegal as poaching?" Ozpin switched to a more down-to-earth approach. The longer Bred insisted that his actions were just, the more serious the man was. It was time to end this argument by getting straight to the point. "Your intentions are noble indeed, Mr. Bred. I'm sure your family is proud to have you.

"But if that's the case, then I wouldn't like to think of their reactions if they realize what despicable acts you both are doing now."

"What did you say?"

"If your family really loves you, Mr. Bred, then what should happen if they find out you have been committing these acts? Do you think they would like it if they find out their beloved father, kind and gentle, is killing innocent animals? That their father is holding an old man hostage?

"Is it right for a child to think of his or her father as a monster?"

Finally, the cracks had settled. Bred began to show definite signs of being struck with the truth. The light was beginning to show as he stopped to think about the words Ozpin blurted out to him. Somewhere deep inside of him, he truly felt there was something off about his partner than he refused to believe.

"I know you, Mr. Bred. You may have power over me now, but you don't know how to use it, even when threatening. I can only imagine how your partner thinks of you, compared to his real prizes."

 **SWISH!**

Then, the doors opened, followed by the hurried arrival of Krendo, appearing panicked and in a rush from the outside. The Zabrak had attempted to assist Kwazzi at the battle, but with intervention of the white-haired girl outside, plans have changed. He would tell Bred to grab their hostage and bail out, taking their getaway vehicle off to the next rendezvous point, where they would stage a much more open scheme to get the Atriyans to lift the ban on their hunting grounds.

"Bred!" the Zabrak yelled. "Get the car! Kwazzi's buying us time to -!"

 **CRASH!**

Before Krendo could give the word, the windows broke in, with the metal blinds cut loose as if a lightsaber seared right through the bars. Instead of a Jedi, a shadowy figure leapt right in the middle of the group before instantly reaching for the Zabrak, grabbing him by the throat within her arm. Krendo found himself being throttle into the intruder's grasp, but not before recognizing said attacker as the same wretch who got in their way before.

"Let go of me, you brat!" shouted Krendo. When he was about to struggle, he was suddenly silenced by a machete, slowly brushing against his throat as it threatened to wipe him out.

"Stand down, then." hissed Blake, dangerously inching her blade closer to the man's throat as she tightened her hold. After the opening she had from Weiss' distraction, she quickly sought the chance to break into the room, cutting up the metal bars with a slicer and crash in.

Now that she had the crook in her clutches, Blake could turn the tables and even the playing field. It all came down to the Herglic holding Ozpin to decide how the standoff was going to end.

"It's over. You're beaten." she threw her warning to Bred.

The Herglic held back, stunned from the sudden capture of his partner. Watching his friend trapped, he was at a momentary loss, unable to comprehend what his next action was. As Ozpin had predicted, he couldn't take action, for fear of hurting Krendo. Better yet, what was to come next was exactly what he was counting on.

Krendo bobbed his head down, nodding to his cohort to even the odds. At once, Bred took out his pistol and pointed the barrel towards Ozpin's head. With a sneaky grin, the Zabrak chortled in disgusting delight while Blake mentally cursed.

"I'm afraid you're the one who's out of options, sweetie."

"What do you hope to gain from taking Senator Ozpin?" demanded Blake, mystified by the apparent ignorance played by the two men. "What good will it do?"

"A good load of money. That's all you need to hear, babe." Krendo simply gloated, almost as if he won a game of sabacc. Blake was no stranger to such deplorable talk, but this was still enough to boil her blood, almost willing to hurt the man and end it with one slice. But she, again, stopped herself from doing something she would regret later on. Even if these crooks were tainted with greed, she had no reason to murder, especially in front of an esteemed Senator.

"So you'll hurt people just for your own personal gain. Without realizing the consequences of your actions?" argued Blake.

"Life sucks, dear. I know." Krendo shrugged his shoulders, still dismissive about his wrongdoings. "But if it gives us the cash and the thrill of the hunt, we'll be right on the money."

Now, Blake had to do something about the situation. The man she had in her arm was a sick being who needed to be dealt with. She was almost ready to do him in and knock him out, rather than result to a bloody murder.

She knew, however, that anything done wrong with the man would only cause the Herglic to retaliate and end the Senator's life. One wrong move and it was all over.

Ozpin, meanwhile, had a much more intriguing experience with the high stakes played in this exchange. If anything, the display of heartless talk should give Bred a sign that his supposedly family-loving partner was not as devoted to the greater good than he thought. Even when he was being pointed at by a blaster to his head, he was not going to be bent down to his will and break. Instead, he let a higher power guide him through this tumultuous time. By letting go of his fears, he learned to embrace his fate, whatever it may lay him. Putting his fate in the hands of a criminal, he was ready to accept what Bred would do in response, even death if need be…

* * *

The fight was over as soon as it started.

With the criminal down on her feet, Weiss was able to strike a few good blows before finally hindering the Frenk down to unconsciousness. As she eyed her fallen opponent, she breathed to relax her nerves, keeping Myrtenaster pointed at Kwazzi until her guards would recover and collect her. She had already been denied of the chance to serve justice to the terrorist who dared to endanger her life, delaying the time she had to save Senator Ozpin.

But she looked to her guards, seeing them all back up, still battered but well alive. While she grew tired of being delayed, Weiss could at least take comfort, knowing that they were safe.

As they came to pick up their prize, the Senator flicked her blade against her sleeve, smoothing it of the filth that was smudged on its thin surface. Looking at the crashed window where Blake ran into, she gave the word to her guards to follow the trouble to the source.

This time, the White Fang rat was not going to escape her this time. She was going to answer for her crimes against the Schnee family and the Republic as a result of her horrid intrusions.

* * *

"You let me go this instant, or my friend will kill the Senator!" threatened Krendo again, his voice growing more sadistic. The standoff lasted for a few more seconds until the room was silent, both sides unsure of what to do next. Blake kept Gambol Shroud well placed under Krendo's neck, while Bred had his blaster tucked onto Ozpin's greying side, with both prisoners willing to find out who shall act first.

In Bred's case, however, the situation had just reached a critical point. After what Ozpin had told him, the Herglic was sure that the Senator was trying to fool him into breaking down and betraying his faithful partner. As Krendo told him, he was among many people who refused to lend a hand for those in need, that this kidnapping would be the first step in reacquiring the source of their income.

And then, Krendo began to talk while under the grip of the girl in front of him. Taking Ozpin's words to mind, he began to feel… uncertain. Yes, Krendo did mention money as the motive to their schemes; money that would be used to feed their families again.

But… one question remained… Did Krendo even bother to mention them? Did he think about their own lives ahead of his 'thrill of the hunt'? Yes. Krendo was always known for being too enthusiastic about his job, hunting wild beasts to fuel his drive for more funds. If it meant securing those credits, then Bred would have no problem.

Now… Krendo was feeling very off. More than that, however, Bred himself was feeling something even more discerning.

"Think about your family, Mr. Bred." Ozpin managed to churn up the courage to speak, ever so calmly. "Do you really want to be known as a killer of innocent creatures? That he killed a good man?"

Stumbling in doubt again, Bred shivered, his tremors felt by the Senator. Remembering what Ozpin said to him again, he had begun to put the pieces together, mixing it with what Krendo had displayed so openly to him.

Could it really be that Krendo was fonder of his need to kill than the needs of his family? In truth, despite being convinced that it was a lie, Bred couldn't help but feel that Ozpin had been right. If you have any guilt in your heart, then you will do the right thing, won't you? It's not too late.

"Think of your children."

"Don't do it, Bred!" snapped Krendo. His body attempted to spring forward, but Blake kept him at bay. "Don't you dare let this old man fool you into giving up!"

If Ozpin would stoop any lower, there would have been a grin of his own. At last, the Zabrak was starting to show his true colours. Slowly, Krendo would become more and more agitated until he was forced to do something to tick his partner off into a reaction. Whatever reaction it would be, he couldn't tell.

Always in motion was the future…

As the argument heated, Bred slowly felt even more unsure of himself. Was he really going to just listen to Ozpin and let go, or was he to lose everything he had for him and his family? His friendship with Krendo was the only thing that kept him going to help them grow. He would depend on him like he was his brother, doing the things they'd do to help finance their family. As Krendo got angrier, Bred was struggling to cope under the pressure, possibly ready to listen to him and bring the Senator to him.

But again, Ozpin's words swam in his head, causing the Herglic to lower his guard. What if he was telling the truth? Could he be willing to go so low into killing an elderly human, let alone a well-known Senator, all for the apparent greed that he had allowed himself to be swallowed up in?

Again, just as Ozpin told him, he thought of his family…

His grip on Ozpin began to wither, his blaster slowly drooping down, but still aimed right for the human's head. From the other side, there were a couple of bewildered reactions from Krendo and Blake, who watched the Herglic tremble in doubt.

The Faunus girl was stupefied by how the Senator could remain so calm in such a dangerous matter. She had heard a lot about Senator Ozpin and his renowned sense of courage in the face of a political crisis, which had been his greatest asset in the Senate. Never would she think, however, that the older man would be relaxed, even as a blaster was being aimed at his head. What amazed her even more was how he was able to convince the Herglic to see his errors, almost to the point of lowering his guard. It was nothing like she had ever seen before when being involved in similar cases.

Just how could someone like Senator Ozpin possess such a powerful voice? Even the violent force of her former brothers of the White Fang could not achieve what this lone human could.

Unfortunately, her captive did not share her amazement…

"What the heck, Bred?!" he shouted, shocking Bred further. "Don't let your guard down!"

"Look at your partner." Ozpin talked again. This time, Blake listened in, curious of the apparent power of the man through his words alone. "So willing to commit murder for the sake of his own addiction. If he truly cared for his family, then he would at least consider the other options that would guarantee a much safer position for him and them. He would truly care about what his family would think of him when they find out he was involved in such an atrocious murder.

"Don't you feel the same, Mr. Bred?"

Bred could not take it in any longer. The more Krendo yelled and the more Ozpin spoke, his confusion grew even more. His mind was being more messed up, causing his hold on Ozpin to drop ever so much. When he loosened, the Zabrak seemed even more agitated.

"Don't you remember what he did? He made us jobless! He made them take our money away and punished us! Our families!"

Bred remained silent, but what Krendo finally said at the end would finally show him the whole truth…

"Think of my hunt, you dumb whale!"

 **His** hunt…?

…

…

"AARGHH!"

 **BWARM!**

Bred pulled the trigger. The blast soon zapped out of the barrel and hit his target, square in the chest. All in an instant, Krendo was shot down by the angered shot. Blake, being shocked by the sudden blast, let go of the Zabrak as he fell to the floor, face flat on the floor below her. With stunned shock, she looked down at the fallen body, bending down to check his condition.

Bred, overcome with anger and confusion, shook uncontrollably. After shooting his friend, it took a brief moment for him to finally realize what he had done. Seeing his friend on the ground, his grip on his blaster was gone, forcing him to drop the weapon as it clattered onto the concrete below. Tears began to flow down his blubbery cheeks, moaning with grief and sadness over the ordeal.

And, in the midst of it all, even in the chaotic scuffle, Ozpin just sighed, relieved that it was finally over. As the Herglic sobbed in sorrow, he felt the squeezing grip of his arm loosen, freeing the Senator from the tense hold. Dropping down onto the ground, Bred began to sob even more hectically, driven to intense guilt, both from his past deeds and the shot he made to his only companion.

Not even bothered to stretch his compressed muscles, Ozpin went down to the level of the crouched Bred. With great sympathy, he put a knowing arm on his back. Despite what he did, the Senator could not fully blame him for taking him hostage, even saddened by the fact that he could have been manipulated into committing these crimes by the one he claimed to be his friend.

With the softest of smiles, he patted the Herglic on the back, Bred looking up with his tears still falling. As he closed his eyes, Ozpin thanked the man for finally beginning his road to redemption.

"Thank you."

 **BRRZZTT!**

At once, Bred fell to the ground, unconscious. From behind the fallen criminal, a lone blaster, the same one used by the Herglic, now in the hands of Ozpin, fired with blue energy waves that rushed through his body. While Bred had been crying, he managed to overcome his bound hands and pick up the blaster, barely able to set it to stun.

Finally freed from the crisis, Ozpin gently placed the blaster down in front of Bred, shaking his head at how easy it was for people to be coaxed into doing the worst of deeds, whether they be criminals or Separatists…

Meanwhile, Blake kept her hand onto the neck of the Zabrak, feeling for any signs of life left. The shot to his chest definitely felt strong, almost enough to pose serious injuries. She hoped for his survival, despite how sick she felt towards him, so that he would live long enough to serve a life in prison. Thankfully, there was a pulse. The Zabrak had survived his wounds, evidenced by said pulse and the slow motion of breathing on his body. Relieved, Blake then reached for a piece of cable left on the floor, tying up the fiend's hands and leaving him to his eventual fate in the hands of the authorities later on.

She then laid her eyes on the other criminal, only to find Senator Ozpin standing above him. Perplexed by his surprising show of force yet again, Blake stayed in place, unable to shake the amazement off her.

Noticing her surprise, Ozpin chuckled, showing his tied hands to Blake to snap her out of it.

"I see that you're in a shock, miss." he laughed. "But I seem to be tied up at the moment. Do you mind?"

"Oh…" Blake shook her head, apologizing to the Senator. "Forgive me." Taking her weapon with her, she took Ozpin's wrists and lunged her weapon straight through the cable. Ripping the bonds to smaller pieces, the man then wriggled his hands, letting his tensions off. Rubbing them into his palms, he then looked at Blake, somewhat intriguingly.

The girl couldn't tell why he was looking at her like so. He looked like he was assessing her, like she had put up a research test for him. Her thoughts, however, were interrupted when Ozpin spoke.

"My thanks, Miss…?" Taken aback by his request for her name, Blake quickly dismissed it, unable to answer to him.

"I have no name. I… don't remember." she lied. Ozpin, however, did not seem convinced…

"None of which to speak with, I assume?" The response was foreign to Blake. If she wasn't bewildered enough, how wrong she was… Not even her experience in literature could prepare her for whatever riddle he had for her. From his expression alone, she could tell that the man was hiding something of his own, being very tongue-and-cheek with her.

But before Ozpin could continue, the trouble was not over for Blake…

Beside them, the doors whooshed open again. From outside, the new crowd of people emerged in a rush, revealing themselves as Weiss and her company of guards crashed right in to catch the criminals in the scene.

Bewildered, Weiss found herself catching Blake right in front of Senator Ozpin, followed by the other two creeps, who were now down on the ground. With the White Fang terrorist alone, without the others, the heiress made the idea that she was there to steal the man from them, clearing out the competition to get the prize all to herself. Having this premonition in her head, she couldn't contain her shock, that she was nearly too late to save the man.

"I knew it!" she shouted, Myrtenaster struck out towards Blake, threatening to jump in and take her on again.

"It's not what you think!" In her desperate bid to stop the misunderstanding, Blake tried to reason with the heiress, almost forgetting about their earlier feud. It did nothing to stop the Atlesian from ordering her guards to subdue her.

"Guards! Seize her!" With a single cry, Weiss told them to rush in and capture the criminal. The men brushed past her, bent on taking the terrorist in for questioning.

Alarmed by the matter, Blake stepped back, quickly figuring out what to do in this situation. With no other options, she then saw the broken window behind Weiss, seeing it as her only chance to escape the kerfuffle. At once, without bidding farewell to Ozpin, she ran for the window, ducking underneath the guards and quickly pushing Weiss aside.

The heiress reacted too late to catch Blake as the Faunus ran right past her and jumped out the window, right through the opening she made earlier. Weiss went over to watch in disbelief, seeing Blake stick the landing outside and make a move for the speeder nearby.

In her desperation, Weiss took Myrtenaster and fired up her blade. With one swing, she fired a powerful burst of fire that was thrown onto the speeder. Upon contact, the vehicle was caught in a fiery inferno that quickly did away with its inside machinery.

Blake was thrown off and fell on her backside from the sudden thrust of flames, watching the speeder burst up in flames. As it continued to burn away, she quickly got up and made another run for it to avoid the impending explosion that was about to happen. Once the flames burnt through the next few seconds, the vehicle began to sizzle inside, eventually having its engine ruptured and busted open by the burnout.

Finally, after the fire settled in, just a few feet away from Blake, the speeder exploded, a booming explosion echoing throughout the streets. The force was powerful enough to knock the Faunus' feet off the ground, throwing her off the ledge. Flying in the air, she was eventually forced to watch helplessly as she was sent careening off the platform and into the bottomless pit of the urban underworld before her, thousands of feet before her eventual death…

Just like that, Weiss could also spectate from above, losing sight of the Faunus as she disappeared off the platform and into the world down below. She gasped in disbelief, feeling foolish to let her foe fall off to a clumsy fate. The burning wreckage of her speeder soon lit up the streets, the explosion sure to cause nearby patrons to panic. Surely, this would also cause a storm of news reporters to come forth and find out what happened.

While she certainly didn't worry about her image, as she would have Ozpin cover for her, Weiss was forced to let the sinking fact in that her most wanted criminal was allowed to slip away, no matter if she was to die or miraculously survive her fall. As much as she wanted the terrorist to pay, she needed her alive to answer for her crimes, especially for the attempt on her life, twice.

Knowing she had lost her chance to again, this time, due to her own desperation, Weiss grew direly angrier, punching the window in frustration. Her teeth rubbed against each other and her body shook with mixed guilt and failure in her heart. Guilt that she didn't bring her assassin to justice, failure that she let her emotions drive her into causing collateral damage to the streets below her.

She then turned around, watching her guards tend to Senator Ozpin, who was surprisingly not as distraught as she was. He was talking to the guards to let them know he wasn't harmed by the incident, all with a reassuring smile. Looking at this, Weiss' heart soon warmed with the knowledge that her colleague was safe, thanks to her intervention. Perhaps, now, she could think about the more important thing that came from this terrible day. She managed to protect a fellow Senator and her guards from four criminals, proving that she was capable of helping people through her expertise. Despite losing her chance to bring the White Fang to the bigger picture, Weiss could find the solace to know what's right, to move towards what was more important.

* * *

Blake could have been falling for a long while, feeling her body flying downwards as the pending impact of her body crashing down on the floor would immediately cut her life short, ending all existence in front of her. If she wasn't able to find a way to catch herself before falling, she would have been ready to brace herself for the fatal blow that could have splattered her body throughout the ground.

Instead, by the time she had fallen deep enough, when she was certain she was dead, she felt a strong pull of the back of her shirt, feeling a strong tug catch her. Blake had her eyes closed for the eventual death. By the time she opened them, she could see the dark, endless pit below her. And yet, when she was expected to still fall, she could see that she wasn't falling anymore. Her body was still, up in the air and dangling off of something. She could also feel her shirt being pulled still, causing her to look behind at what had happened.

To her utmost surprise, she had been saved from a painful death. But instead of complete relief that a miracle had happened, she laid her eyes on a rather disappointing sight. It wasn't an inanimate obstruction of the wall behind her that caught her fall, nor was it some protruding piece of equipment like an antenna.

In fact, the things that saved her wasn't an **it**. It was a **he**. And that person was someone she hoped she wouldn't see for a good long while.

His cocky smile radiated beneath the Coruscanti sun in a glow that annoyed her, instead of charming her. She could remember the pungent stench of garbage that came from his body. But most of all, it was his rough, carefree voice that reminded her the most of his less-than-stellar impression.

Just by looking at him, clearly responsible for saving her, she groaned in shame.

"Told 'ya it wouldn't be the last time you'd see me." Sun Wukong bellowed, hanging upside down with his tail wrapped around a beacon as he caught Blake by her shirt, letting her hang around in an embarrassing position.

All Blake could say to show her gratitude to the man was…

"Oh… great."

* * *

Senate Building,

Coruscant,

On the parking grounds, the same location where this all started, Glynda glanced towards the horizon, tapping her foot impatiently and her cane being wrapped with her palm harder than she could ever hold it. All around her, more people were waiting alongside her. Among them being the other Senators of Remnant, who were all equally worried for the safety of their esteemed colleagues. A company of Senate Guards, graced with their traditional blue robes and helmets stuck with feathered crests, stood on guard to bring in the criminals responsible for the whole crisis.

Thankfully, the rest of the Senate wasn't as attentive, assured by security that Ozpin and Weiss would be safe. Those who awaited them were worried enough to excuse themselves from their duties to greet them.

Soon, just as Glynda was about to get more impatient, she caught the sight of a lone airbus, coming in to land on the very platform before her. When it touched down, she could see through the windows, making out the identities of the passengers inside. To her greatest relief, she spotted the one man whom she was gladdest to see, alive and well.

As the boarding ramp descended, the passengers on board soon got up from their seats to depart. Among them, Weiss Schnee exited hers and walked to the front. Before she could consider leaving, she had to stop by to greet her colleague, who took the front seat behind the cockpit.

As Ozpin rose as well, he was soon met up with a glorified Schnee. True to his thoughts, Weiss came forth, the standard, proud Schnee grin that distinguished her and her family from other nobles in the galaxy.

"I saved your life, Senator Ozpin." greeted Weiss, full of pride in her voice. A little too much pride, that is… "Perhaps a proper 'thank you' is in order?" The man took a while before he gave her a response, as if assessing her from her speech. It was no far cry from how she was during the Senate meeting days before, but it was a glaring sign of her darker side. The negative side that Ozpin sought to realize before confirming his trust on her in the future.

"And that, you have my thanks, Miss Schnee." he finally said after a few seconds. Yet, Weiss could see that the gesture was half-hearted at worst. "Only for the effort of bringing your guard here and bringing down the criminals."

"What? But I saved you from that… those criminals!" exclaimed Weiss, baffled that Ozpin hadn't recognized her true potential. Her arm then went out for the three stunned accomplices of the abduction, who were being lined up behind her, flanked from front to back by her guards. But the majority of her vigour went for the lone criminal not present among them. "That White Fang runt was surely ready to hurt you!" Despite her sudden rudeness shown right in front of him, Ozpin refused to rebuke, remaining civil and calm.

"Not to worry; your contribution will help solve this crisis, all the same." After assuring Weiss that he was thankful, he then turned around to depart from the bus, leaving the disgruntled heiress behind to fume.

To let her guards through with the prisoners, Weiss had to leave, but her temper still flared at how dismissive Ozpin was towards her. Her frown was still plastered on her face, her fists clenched with fury at the lack of gratitude he gave her. She had gone through all this effort to bring her guards over and defuse the situation. She had risked her own life again to defend herself and save him from that White Fang assassin. She should have received a much more grateful expression from him. Who else wouldn't be thankful for being saved?

And yet, Ozpin chose to behave as if she didn't matter. Weiss continued to watch him from behind, still unable to fathom why he was being so ungrateful. She descended down to the floor, almost about to storm off back to her office to blow some steam. Before she left, she was quickly stopped by Ozpin. When she turned her head to face him, she could see a change of facial expression, one that signified seriousness.

"But I will leave you with one piece of advice." he cleared to her with his hands tied behind his back. "Do not simply pick fights with that blade of yours. Choose them with your mind, first. I believe you're going to need it if you wish to remain a strong individual in the Senate, and in our times of war." Again, Weiss could feel the ire grow within her, ashamed even further in the presence of the other Senators. The nerve of him to just blurt out some piece of advice in front of them like that. Feeling like she had wasted her time, she turned around and left, walking into the building without looking back.

Ozpin shook his head as he watched Weiss leave, disappointed that she had chosen to act like the spoiled brat he hoped she wouldn't turn out to be. Oh well, you can't expect people to live up to all of your expectations, anyways…

After Weiss left, he then turned to his other colleagues, assuring them all that he was fine. After a heartfelt few words, Ozpin then greeted his faithful secretary, who only showed disappointment of her own. She could only wish that he wouldn't get himself into such extreme crises like this, adding to her stress. The Senator smiled, knowing that her outward appearance only masked how much she was truly worried for him.

"Those hooligans tried to kidnap you, even having you at gunpoint. Yet, you're taking this rather well." she huffed, unable to understand how Ozpin couldn't feel the least bit frightened by the experience.

"I've lived long enough to be threatened by far worse than angry souls." explained Ozpin, putting an end to the worries. Sure, he was slightly messed up. He was indeed feeling distressed after being tied up and kept at gunpoint, but only because he had been denied the chance to hear the day's meeting at the Senate. After what he had been through, he had been asked to take a break back home to rest. As much as he would reject the offer, he knew not to make much of a show, at least for today.

Still, it did not rid him of the growing mystery he had ever since the end of the incident.

"Three of them have been apprehended." reported Glynda. "But the other one who got away…" Yes, the girl who tried to save him. She was what Ozpin was more intrigued of. From the incident, he was informed that she was, in fact, a member of the White Fang. Weiss Schnee, of all people, told him of the unfortunate attempt on the Senator's life prior to her first day in the Senate. As far as he understood, the details surrounding her connection to the White Fang only came during the second encounter between the two girls.

Ozpin couldn't be sure about the validity of Weiss' claims. However, judging by how the Faunus girl reacted to the heiress' aggressive entrance and the dastard escape attempt, it only seemed to make it more believable. After all, the former Faunus rights organization had always made the Schnee their number one enemy since the day of their inception. Since their growing terrorist attacks, however, they had put a dent in hopes of achieving peaceful relations between them and the Republic, particularly the Remnant side of the government.

That left Ozpin to question; if the girl he met was a member of the White Fang, why would she come to save him? If she was as dangerous as Weiss said she was, then where were the signs? From what he viewed, there were none of the deadly gazes, no show of aggression, other than towards the true criminals of the case. Above all, as Ozpin could sense, there was not a single speck of the intent on killing anyone.

When Weiss came to the fold, it would have incriminated any of the cruel things the former described him of the Faunus girl. Instead, she chose to run and not fight, not once showing signs of fear or anger. She sounded like she only wanted to clear a misunderstanding between them, to assure Schnee that she was only there to save him.

If this White Fang terrorist was so dangerous, then why didn't she try and hurt him, let alone kill him…?

Thus, the ending of this peculiar case only left the Senator with more questions than answers. Questions that may never be, considering that Weiss Schnee had caused the girl to fall to the underlevels of Coruscant.

Could he have told them to stop? Maybe. The girl did try to save him, that much was true. But somehow, admittedly out of habit, the Senator played the long game, wanting to see what she would do to when faced with adversity. He always had to assess people in the middle of a crisis, to see what made them tick and how they could handle themselves.

That left him with a disappeared Faunus and a clearer picture of who Weiss Schnee truly was at her worse side.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder if the girl survived. Only the Force could tell…

Amidst his time knowing the girl, however, there was something about her eyes that reminded Ozpin of someone. Someone he knew very well from Menagerie…

"Even her body will be a hassle to locate." sighed Glynda, troubled that she'd have to assign herself another miscellaneous task to her already full schedule.

"Quite the contrary, Glynda." murmured Ozpin, catching the secretary by surprise. "That one turned out to be far more interesting than I thought." In time, given that the girl did survive her fall, maybe a light would come to give him the answers he'd seek. Right now, however, there was much more at stake.

There were a whole lot more problems in the Senate, and he had missed an entire day's worth of it…

* * *

Kromsome Street,

Level 452,

Coruscant,

After her brush with death, Blake found herself leaving an air taxi, groaning with distress. Behind her, her saviour, Sun Wukong, of all people in the cursed galaxy, flipped a few credits into the palms of the taxi driver. He gave him one quick smile before turning back to the girl, catching up to her as she clearly didn't want to be disturbed.

"Hey! What gives? I just saved your life, didn't I?" he called out to her. Begrudgingly, Blake exhaled before turning to face the busybody.

"First of all, I had that under control." She exerted her voice as calmly as she could, but with enough spunk to let him know how fed up she was. "And second, what are you doing here? I thought we agreed to split paths."

"First of all, you totally had your skin ready to be hooked up by those guys." Sun then interjected. "And second, I was just… on my way here to Coruscant to do some shady business." The second sentence of his explanation didn't need to be analysed, because Blake could already see how unconvincing it was.

"You were following me again, weren't you?" she deadpanned. Sun just chuckled sheepishly. Nothing he did would ever make his haphazard attempt to get on her good side work. Truth be told, he **did** know what Blake said to him back then. But that didn't stop him from trying… The reason he defied her request, Blake could never know…

Yet again, she tried to brush him off as another nuisance, not worth her time. Predictably, Sun was stubborn enough to pursue her, still. Swinging through some awning, he caught up to her, standing in front to stop her.

"Hey, come on." Sun insisted, forcing Blake to use whatever little patience she had with him. "Can't you see I'm trying to talk here?"

"Can't **you** see that I don't want any of it?" Blake argued.

"Come on! Cut me some slack." Said Sun, pleading for her to listen. "You want to be a hero, right? Save lives?" Blake only perked her one eyebrow upwards, her frown adjusted to show her unamused demeanour. Regardless, it was a sign for him to just go on. Like what he was going to suggest wasn't going to do him any good... "Here's your chance. Just hear me out." Reluctantly, Blake decided to let him speak. The monkey Faunus gladly obliged and began to show her what he had in mind.

"You have only a few seconds, Wukong. Then, I'm out." reminded Blake.

"Okay! So, I was thinking. Since you clearly need to go around, saving people and what not, and I need the money, how about we do something with it?" For a split second, Sun took a brief pause, something Blake recognize as a delay before something he knew she didn't want to hear.

As far as Sun was concerned, however, this was the one thing he had to getting Blake to join him in his future endeavours. She was someone he could rely on to do tasks that he couldn't do. Best not to mention that, though...

"How about we work together?"

That's it, Blake thought. That was already going too far. Turning around, she walked away, leaving Sun baffled and scrambling again for her attention. She finally had had enough. It was bad enough to have him follow her around, but now, he wanted her to come with him? She resulted to stomping away, ignoring Sun's persistence.

"Hey!" he shouted, jumping right in front until he stood in front of her, arms stretched out. Rolling her eyes, Blake was forced to halt, crossing her arms together in annoyance. Her lips pursed, her patience running thin by the constant irritancy in front of her. "Just let me finish!" Not entirely sure if she should let him go on, she decided to stay put until Sun informed her of the full details.

"Look, the galaxy ain't going to let us through without a few credits to pay for the trips." explained Sun.

"I can find jobs." said Blake. "In fact, I just finished one."

"Yeah, but with the Atlesian Guard involved, I'm sure that money's going nowhere." added Sun. Blake hated to admit that he was right. The criminals were sure to be in Republic custody, and with Weiss Schnee involved, there was no way she could get any payment from the local justice office for taking part in the rescue of Senator Ozpin. Surely the man himself could vouch for her in defence against the Schnee's claims against her, but as it stood, she need not to avoid any attention from the Republic. "You need help. **My** help."

"Go on." she muttered.

"Okay. So, how do we get that money without raising alarms from almost every single organization in the galaxy?" Sun's enthusiasm continued to build up with each second he had talking, hoping to convince Blake that she would be willing to take interest. "Simple; I'll help you out with your jobs and you get me close enough to nab the rewards! Genius, right?"

"So, you want me to help you with your little quests to steal from the rich?" repeated Blake, just to make sure he had something else to offer for her services. "And in turn?"

"I'll give it to the needy. How does that sound?" It sounded like a good cause to Blake, of course. But coming from someone who specialized in mixing with the wrong crowd in the past, it might not be the best combination.

"I'm already not liking this." she sighed.

"Just trust me on this. I know I'm not the most reliable partner to have around, but you seem to be the one to take second chances. And… I wanna help out." After hearing Sun being insistent in making a meaningful cause work, only then she pondered on. She had to think about what a partnership with this street urchin would be like.

For one, Sun did prove that he had the heart to help her when she needed a way out of the station owned by Roman Torchwick a while back. While he was clumsy and reckless, he did show proficiency when it truly counted, also proving himself by complying to her strategies prior.

On the other hand, it still didn't do much to dispel her opinions on said recklessness. He was as cocky as the worst of initiates in the White Fang; full of excitement and thrill-seeking glory. With his rambunctious attitude and jumpy nature, he would be a liability at worst. Not to mention, she had no idea on how notorious he actually was, other than that bounty placed on his head for a previous theft.

"So, what do you think?" It came down to what she was willing to accept from him from such cooperation. Could she tolerate him, or was it not worth the effort to let him be in her way?

"I suppose working with you would… help." admitted Blake, painfully uttering it out. Eventually, however, when it came to venturing out in the galaxy to do her part, one thing was certain. In the end, despite her isolation from those she once knew, she had to learn to trust someone, and if that someone had to be some thief, then it might had been worth the risk.

"Fine. I'll accept." acknowledged Blake, but she was still not as amused as Sun was. "But I'm too far from being impressed, Wukong. So, don't get any ideas."

"Awesome!" cheered Sun. Finally, he had gotten Blake to join his side in his escapades. For sure, he would promise to do his best to not piss his new teammate off, but he wasn't going to let her bring him down either. This was to be a mutual partnership, working off of both their strengths and weaknesses. Blake, meanwhile, had to be cautious for now. Just this while, she would have to watch out for Sun's habits and put him in line if he went too far. "So we head to your ship!"

"Why not get your own? You stole an amethyst from Corellia, did you not?" Blake deadpanned. First, she had to force herself to accept Sun's aid, and now, he was trying to hitch a ride with her. Just what was he trying to do with this?

"Hey. I can't steal **everything**!" Not wanting to keep this half-hearted exchange go on, Blake finally gave up. She supposed she could extend her patience a little, just to allow him to follow her into her ship. Besides, perhaps she could keep a closer eye on him while he was being accustomed in it. Thank goodness the lounge had a couch for him to sleep in.

"Come on." Blake called, letting the man follow her to wherever they would start.

"First things first. If we want to do this little heroic mission of yours, then we need mullah. Lots and lots of mullah." suggested Sun.

"You just had to have reason to steal money, haven't you?" said Blake.

"Hey. We can always arrange a share in the deal, right?" joked Sun.

"We'll see."

"Come on! Maybe fifty, fifty? Seventy, thirty?"

"No promises, Sun Wukong. No promises."

* * *

Atlesian Senatorial Office,

Senate Building,

Coruscant,

She had better things to do. There was a presentation to attend with the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, accompanied by many of her esteemed colleagues from Atlas, to present new ideas for the war. Weiss had this great opportunity laid out for her people to prosper and reach higher places within the Republic.

Still, it didn't seem to complete her today.

Weiss paced around her room, still ventilating from the rejection she suffered earlier. Her datapad sat unused on her desk, ever since she returned from the hostage crisis, her chair unmoved for her to even sit. Instead of being shelved in its case, Myrtenaster was just left on top of the desk, Weiss being too frustrated to even take the box out to keep her treasured heirloom in much tidier condition.

When she achieved a grand success, she was soon met with two equally harsh failures to her career.

Just when she achieved the main goal, another grand chance showed up when Senator Ozpin, one of few Senators she ever idolized, was kidnapped by common criminals and, better yet, a member of the White Fang. By getting herself and her guards into the action, she hoped to build up her influence and power to convince all of Remnant that Atlas was well worth allying with. She would finally show Ozpin and, thus, the galaxy that the terrorists were not a threat to be taken lightly.

When she finally ended the crisis right there, all she had, instead of praises and promises for closer ties, was a slamming remark from Ozpin, belittling her abilities as a Senator, even when he was rescued from such dangerous eggs. Everything she did for him and his people felt wasted.

She could only hope that this underestimation wouldn't get the best of her, refusing to let this one Senator bring her down. Despite how she now felt of Ozpin, he was still someone she would try to cooperate with. Someone she could finally prove to of her valour and devotion to the bigger problems of the Republic.

Weiss only hoped that her 'ill-advised' attempt in heroics would be accepted, only because she was acting within the premises desired of her by her father. Yes, her attempt to rescue Ozpin should be seen as a chance to grow the influence of Atlas and especially the Schnee family. Going against this would be a waste of his expertise.

Finally done walking around, she returned to her desk, taking up her datapad to view her records. Apart from a few messages from Atlas, perhaps more from her father, she also viewed some of the news that was reported from the situation down below. From reading the news, she could see footage of her standoff between herself and the White Fang scum.

The journalists were at least kind enough to commend her performance in the face of danger, but when she looked at that picture, Weiss was reminded of the terrorist who tried to endanger the lives of everyone present. Fury drove into her as she kept her eyes towards the assassin, driven to wonder if she would ever have the chance to find her.

While she did hope that the assassin perished from the fall, Weiss had the gut feeling she survived, as most rats would. Only time would tell if she would ever find her, dead or alive…

Regardless, from this experience, Weiss had certainly chosen her fight. From now on, any Faunus she came across was to be monitored, carefully watched before she could make any move. She wasn't going to threaten every single Faunus; only be wary of their presence. There was no harm in watching out for herself and her people, after all.

Then, her hand reached for Myrtenaster, staring into the shiny chamber at the hilt. From there, Weiss could see the little bits of reflection of her face, just enough to see her vivid eyes glance back at her. From this moment forth, no matter what she did, she would ensure that her place in the Senate was not made out of a lack of foresight or foolish claims of bribery.

She earned that position and she was to remind everyone that she planned to use it to benefit the Republic…

"I am perfectly capable, Senator Ozpin… Just you wait…"

* * *

 **A/N~ There you have it. Two arch enemies coming together again, and the introduction of the Oz Man himself.**

 **I wish I could have written the duel between Blake and Weiss to be longer, but having written so much, I had to compress my writing. However, as I've said before, it is up to you to imagine the fight the way you want it. I just focus on the more story-driven elements of the writing, so any action scenes, while I'll do my best to write them with sufficient length and excitement, will not be as complex as other stories.**

 **All the same, thank you to all who have read thus far!**


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